The Indianapolis Colts never had a chance to acquire edge rusher Myles Garrett in a trade. The picks they would have needed to give up were given to the New York Jets last season in return for cornerback Sauce Gardner. While Garrett was traded on June 1, the good thing is that he didn't end up with an AFC South rival, specifically, the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Jacksonville has had a rather meh offseason, losing several key players in free agency. Had they added Garrett, it likely would have changed the entire playoff picture in the division. Plus, as Bleacher Report's James Palmer recently put it, "(Jaguars general manager) James Gladstone is always looking to do something big."
Is Chris Ballard, the general manager of the Colts, always looking to do something huge? Maybe, but not really. What made the move to add Gardner so shocking was that it was the first real trade deadline deal that Ballard had pulled off in his nine-year tenure. Expecting him to do the same kind of thing so soon after would have been expecting too much.
Indianapolis Colts might not have Myles Garrett, but neither do the Jacksonville Jaguars
He couldn't have dealt for Garrett anyway. The Los Angeles Rams did, though, and gave up promising edge rusher Jared Verse along with a first-round draft pick in 2027 and a second-rounder in 2028, and a third-rounder in 2029 to get Garrett. Indianapolis doesn't have a first-round choice in 2027 because Ballard gave that selection to the Jets for Garrett.
In a best-case scenario, the Colts finally make the playoffs again, but don't have to potentially take on Myles Garrett in the postseason. Indy will also avoid him in Week 17 when Indianapolis travels to Cleveland to play the Garrett-less Browns.
Moreover, the Indianapolis Colts won't have to face Myles Garrett with the Jacksonville Jaguars twice a season, either. The same is true of the Houston Texans and Tennessee Titans. (Imagining an already great Houston defense with Garrett is simply a nightmare.)
Maybe Chris Ballard, head coach Shane Steichen, and quarterback Daniel Jones will get to face Myles Garrett next season, though. If that happens, it will be a great thing. It would mean that Indy has made it to the Super Bowl and will be facing the Los Angeles Rams.
Still, one might wish that Sauce Gardner, as great as he is, were still with the New York Jets, and playing opposite Laiatu Latu was Myles Garrett. That would definitely make the Colts defense scarier.
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