The New York Jets shocked the NFL world this afternoon when they shipped All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner to the Indianapolis Colts.
In what was a deal that came almost out of thin air, the Colts landed a true lockdown corner, one who's already under contract until 2030.
But trading Gardner so soon after giving him a massive extension has to have massive cap ramifications, right?
Sauce Gardner's contract made him 'tradeable'
According to Spotrac, the way Gardner's contract was constructed made it easier to trade him, believe it or not.
"Why was Sauce Gardner 'tradeable' today? The Jets structured his offseason extension with a minimal signing bonus ($13.75M), backed up by future option bonuses in 2026/2027," wrote Michael Ginnitti on X.
"Those options now transfer to the Colts, leaving behind just $19.75M of dead cap for the Jets to handle over this and next season."
The Jets actually get out from under Gardner's contract fairly easily, and it opens up a wide variety of options for them in the future.
Add in getting rid of Quinnen Williams and his contract, and New York now becomes a top team in terms of cap space, with a projected total of $117 million.
Yes, the Jets are undergoing another rebuild, but it's always easier when you have more bites at the apple.
More Jets news: