At the start of November, the Indianapolis Colts were flying high. They owned a league-leading 7-1 record, the best offense in the NFL, and a four-game win streak. Ahead of Week 15, the Colts’ situation looks a lot different.
Indianapolis has lost four of its last five games, including back-to-back defeats to division rivals. In just five weeks, the Colts have gone from a playoff lock to a massive question mark, especially after starting quarterback Daniel Jones went down with a season-ending Achilles injury in Week 14.
Sandwiched between the good and bad times was a bold decision by general manager Chris Ballard to trade for a star player. Given what’s unfolded in recent weeks, that ambitious gamble now appears more careless than clever.
Indianapolis Colts may end up regretting their trade for Sauce Gardner
Historically, Ballard has never been very aggressive at the midseason trade deadline. So, when he gave up a small fortune to acquire superstar cornerback Sauce Gardner on deadline day, it was a huge surprise.
It was also a massive bet on the Indianapolis Colts’ future. At the time, the team was widely considered a legitimate Super Bowl contender. And, assuming Jones would be resigned to a long-term deal, Indianapolis was built to contend for years to come.
Given that context, it’s no surprise Ballard and the Colts were willing to push their chips to the center and trade away their next two first-round picks (plus Adonai Mitchell) to the New York Jets for Gardner. After years of rebuilding, Indianapolis was finally on the cusp of championship contention, and the urge to go all-in was impossible to ignore.
Unfortunately, things began to fall apart almost immediately after the trade went through. The Colts lost more games in the five weeks since the trade deadline than in the nine weeks before. Gardner himself is currently out with a calf strain suffered in Week 13, while Jones’ injury delivered a devastating blow to the team’s playoff chances.
Trading premium draft capital for Gardner made sense when it looked like Indianapolis just needed to put the finishing touches on its roster. But Jones’ torn Achilles has blown up the Colts’ plans. With Jones out, Indianapolis is likely dead in the water this season. Worse yet, the severity and long recovery needed for the injury also complicate Jones’ future with the team.
The Colts may once again find themselves searching for a franchise QB. Only this time, they’ll be doing it without a first-round pick for at least the next two years. No matter how good Gardner might be, it won’t matter if the team doesn’t have a solid QB. Just ask the Jets.