The Indianapolis Colts just swung for the fences ahead of the NFL trade deadline, acquiring All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner from the New York Jets. In return, the Colts parted with their next two first-round picks and wide receiver Adonai Mitchell. Quite the deal for Indy.
This deal proves that the Colts are going all-in and trying to take advantage of this special season they've put together. If you had told Colts fans in the weeks leading up to the season that Indianapolis would add Gardner to their roster at some point, fans would have laughed you out of the building but this team wants to be taken seriously and now they have no reason not to be.
With the biggest deal of the deadline now in the books, let's take a look at the winners and losers here.
Winners and losers from Colts' Sauce Gardner trade
Winners
Lou Anarumo
The Colts hired Lou Anarumo to be their defensive coordinator over the offseason after he had a huge run of success in Cincinnati with the Bengals. As the Bengals defense started to decline, Anarumo was expendable and the Colts didn't hesitate to bring him in to fine tune their defense.
The results have been mixed. The run defense has been pretty dang good while the pass defense has been an area of concern but should improve now that Gardner will don the blue and white. Anarumo never got help like this at the deadline when he was with the Bengals so the Colts just showed that they're committed to helping him, something his old team never did.
Anytime you get an All-Pro to help your unit out, you're a winner for sure.
Adonai Mitchell
Sure, some might say, "Poor Adonai, now he has to play for the Jets" but I don't see it that way. Mitchell wasn't getting the playing time to merit being a former second-round pick and now he'll get an opportunity to see the field more.
Mitchell was buried on the depth chart behind Josh Downs, Alec Pierce, and Michael Pittman Jr., meaning a change of scenery could do wonders for him. He'll have less competition in New York and hopefully will have more of a chance to shine there than he did in Indy. It didn't work out for Mitchell in Indianapolis and the Colts made sure they got something massive in admitting that.
Daniel Jones
Aside from an extension, was there a bigger move that showed straight up how much the Colts believe in Daniel Jones than this one? Seriously, they just added an All-Pro cornerback to this roster and wouldn't have done so if they didn't think Jones could be the quarterback they've so desperately been searching for.
While this move won't help Jones directly on the field, it helps his team. Any move that helps the team helps the quarterback and the Colts showed they believe Jones is their guy once and for all. Bring on the extension!
Losers
Jaylon Jones
While most people are thrilled about this acquisition, one of the few in Indianapolis who isn't is Jaylon Jones. With Sauce joining the secondary, Jones probably just lost his starting job and the majority of his meaningful snaps.
Edge Rush
The Colts certainly could use Gardner but their edge rush needed help before the deadline and now it might be harder for Indy to do that. The Colts are sixth in sacks this season but the more help in that department, the merrier.
AFC South QBs
That sound you hear is Trevor Lawrence, C.J. Stroud, and Cam Ward all sighing heavily now that they have an added obstacle in their division. Lawrence and Stroud will particularly be angry about this deal considering their teams still have a fighting chance in the AFC South but now they'll have to avoid throwing Gardner's way or face the consequences.