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11/04 13:16 CST Jets trade star cornerback Sauce Gardner to Colts in stunning deadline deal, AP source says Jets trade star cornerback Sauce Gardner to Colts in stunning deadline deal, AP source says By DENNIS WASZAK Jr. AP Pro Football Writer The New York Jets agreed to trade star cornerback Sauce Gardner to the Indianapolis Colts on Tuesday for two first-round draft picks and wide receiver Adonai Mitchell, according to a person with knowledge of the deal. The Jets will receive the Colts' first-round selection in 2026 and in 2027, the person told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the teams hadn't announced the trade. NFL Network and ESPN first reported the stunning deal, which came less than three hours before the NFL's trade deadline and sends one of the Jets' most popular and accomplished players to the Colts. Gardner, an All-Pro selection in his first two seasons, signed a four-year, $120.4 million contract extension with the Jets in July. "New York it's been real," Gardner posted with a green heart emoji on X. Gardner was the No. 4 overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft out of Cincinnati and quickly established himself as one of the league's top cornerbacks during his first two seasons with the Jets. He was selected the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year and made the All-Pro team in consecutive years --- the only cornerback to do so in his first two seasons since the 1970 merger --- for then-coach Robert Saleh and defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich. He had a slightly down year, by his standards, last season and was excited to play for new coach Aaron Glenn and defensive coordinator Steve Wilks. Gardner said during minicamp in June that Wilks was trying to get him to reach another level. "I know I'm not perfect," Gardner said then, "but the fact that he's trying to get perfection out of me is what I need." The Jets rewarded Gardner with the big extension in July that made him the NFL's highest-paid cornerback. It came just 24 hours after New York also gave a massive extension to wide receiver Garrett Wilson, who was selected by the team six picks after Gardner, with the team envisioning them being cornerstones of the future. Gardner got off to an up-and-down start this season, but was mostly solid since before missing the team's win at Cincinnati with a concussion. Glenn said Monday that Gardner was among three players who were completing the concussion protocol coming out of the Jets' bye-week break and was expected to return to practice this week. Gardner now goes from a Jets team that is coming off winning its first game after opening with seven losses to a Colts squad that has been one of the NFL's biggest surprises with a 7-2 start that ties Indianapolis with New England and Denver for the most victories in the AFC. Indy scrambled to plug holes in its injury-riddled secondary even before the regular season started. They signed free agents Charvarius Ward and Cam Bynum during the offseason to revamp a unit that struggled last season. The Colts even tried cornerback Xavien Howard, a two-time NFL interceptions champ who did not play in 2024, after losing two promising rookies --- safety Hunter Wohler and cornerback Justin Whaley --- with season-ending injuries in training camp. Howard retired after playing just four games. Ward is now on injured reserve after suffering a concussion in a collision during pregame warmups on Oct. 12. Indy's latest attempt to find a solution came last weekend when third-year cornerback Jaylon Jones was activated off injured reserve. He played reasonably well in a loss to Pittsburgh, but the defense's performance in that game demonstrated the Colts still needed to reinforce their biggest weakness on the team --- the secondary. Gardner could fit the bill. It's the first major trade by new Jets general manager Darren Mougey and it evoked memories of the deal New York made in 2012 when it sent Darrelle Revis -- to whom Gardner was often compared for his ability to shut down receivers -- to Tampa Bay in 2013 for two draft picks, including a first-rounder. New York is shuffling its secondary in the middle of its poor season. The Jets traded for cornerback Jarvis Brownlee Jr. last month, acquiring the 2024 fifth-rounder from Tennessee in September, and dealt nickel cornerback Michael Carter II to Philadelphia last Wednesday. The addition of Mitchell, the Colts' second-round pick last year out of Texas, gives the Jets a boost to their thin wide receiver group. Wilson has been dealing with a knee injury that has sidelined him the past two games. New York has been looking for someone else among a group that includes Josh Reynolds, Tyler Johnson, Allen Lazard and rookie Arian Smith to step up as a clear No. 2 to help quarterback Justin Fields. The Colts had high hopes for Mitchell when they drafted him and thought he could push another young receiver, Alec Pierce, to fulfill his potential. Pierce responded by averaging a league-high 22.3 yards per catch last season and is second in the NFL this season at 20.9 yards. Mitchell, however, disappointed. He had a reputation for dropping passes but appeared poised to play a bigger role in the offense this season. But just when Mitchell appeared to be emerging, his progression was stalled by a big blunder --- dropping the ball before crossing the goal line against the Los Angeles Rams, costing him the first score of his career and resulting in a touchback. Indy lost the game 27-20. Since then, Mitchell has been virtually invisible. In the Colts' five games since that embarrassing blunder, Mitchell has appeared in four and hauled in two of his four targets for 15 yards. Mitchell has 32 catches for 462 yards, four carries for 6 yards and has completed his only pass attempt for 24 yards in two seasons. ___ AP Sports Writer Mike Marot in Indianapolis contributed. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

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