The Indianapolis Colts decided to go all-in during the 2025 season and trade a big part of their future for the services of cornerback Sauce Gardner. In return for the former All-Pro, Indy gave the New York Jets two first-round draft picks and wide receiver Adonai Mitchell.
The first of those first-round choices was decided on Thursday. New York chose Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq, a player that Indianapolis would not have needed themselves. In fact, the Jets basically replicated what the Colts did in 2025 when Indianapolis took Tyler Warren.
Warren, though, went into an immediately better position than Sadiq did because Indy had quarterback Daniel Jones, and New York has Geno Smith. If things work out well, Jones will be the starter for his team much longer than Smith will be for his. Warren won't have to trade one quarterback for another over his career, but Sadiq might.
New York Jets take a tight end with the first of two first-round picks the Indianapolis Colts gave them
Still, what ultimately matters is that Sauce Gardner was, for all intents and purposes, Indianapolis's first-round choice in 2026, and the cornerback is just 25 years old (he will turn 26 before Week 1 next season). He is young enough to play at a high level as much as many of the players entering this year's draft.
Had general manager Chris Ballard decided to give two first-round picks for a player who was already 28, for instance, the deal would have been so much worse. As long as Gardner stays healthy (and, to be fair, he wasn't in the second half of last season), he will give Indianapolis the kind of shutdown corner most teams may never have.
The New York Jets might have used the pick the Indianapolis Colts should have had, but they didn't steal a player that Indy might have taken. So far, the trade is even, though the Jets still have next year's first-round choice, too. If Sauce Gardner bounces back to the form he had in the first few seasons of his career, Indy could have a future Hall of Famer on its roster.
The same cannot be said of either of the first-round selections that Chris Ballard gave away. At least, not yet. The Colts received a proven great player in the deal that sent Gardner to Indy, but the Jets can only hope the draft picks work out. The future is still unknown for all involved, but at least no one can argue that Indianapolis made an obviously horrible move in getting the cornerback.
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