The New York Jets decided to sell two major pieces at the NFL trade deadline on Tuesday. They traded away cornerback Sauce Gardner to the Indianapolis Colts for two first-round picks and wide receiver Adonai Mitchell.
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Oct 19, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Jets linebacker Jamien Sherwood (44) and cornerback Sauce Gardner (1) celebrate a defensive stop in the first quarter against the Carolina Panthers at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
New York also traded away defensive tackle Quinnen Williams to the Dallas Cowboys for a 2026 second-round pick, a 2027 first-round pick, and defensive tackle Mazi Smith. The Jets were also trying to trade players like running back Breece Hall and edge rusher Jermaine Johnson before the trade deadline ended, but they couldn’t find a trade partner for either of those players. There has no doubt been major reaction about the fallout from the trade deadline by the Jets.
NFL Analyst Believes That the New York Jets are NFL Trade Deadline Winners
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Oct 12, 2025; Tottenham, United Kingdom; Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) greets New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner (1) after an NFL International Series game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports believes that one of the winners of the NFL trade deadline on Tuesday was in fact the Jets despite giving away two cornerstone franchise players. Benjamin said about New York making these massive trades,
“Jets fans may be shredding their wardrobes after the club dealt not one but two of the team’s top talents in Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams. But consider that with Sauce and Williams, this team was 1-7 and going nowhere fast. Even when both players were dominant at their respective positions a few years ago, the Jets couldn’t even bother to make the postseason. Why? Because the offense has been a trainwreck for years.
Selling both Gardner and Williams supplies New York with a combined five first-round picks (!) over the next two seasons to address that side of the ball, namely the quarterback spot. Should we give the Jets the benefit of the doubt when it comes to actually maximizing those resources? Probably not. But we certainly can’t fault them for selling their top assets when it’s clear even the defense deserved overhauling under new coach Aaron Glenn. They may be sapped of premium playmakers, but they’re set up to be smiling come 2026 and especially 2027.
That’s not even accounting for the possibility, however remote, that wideout AD Mitchell and defensive lineman Mazi Smith, two recent early-round prospects, will also make an impact as part of the Jets’ long-term planning.”
The Jets should be finding their next franchise quarterback in either the 2026 or the 2027 NFL Draft. New York has a golden chance to build through the draft and be a contender for years to come depending on how they draft. If they can’t get this right with the draft picks over the next two seasons, they may never get it right. Also, they could potentially trade more players in the offseason before the NFL draft as well.
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