After one of the biggest days of player-for-picks trading in Jets' franchise history, GM Darren Mougey met with reporters with a tired voice to provide insight into two blockbuster trades and a long day spent by the phones.
"A lot of work goes into it," Mougey said of the moves made on Tuesday. "Never an easy day, a lot of tough decisions."
The two major decisions involved trading CB Sauce Gardner, the No. 4 overall draft pick of the Jets in 2022, and DL Quinnen Williams, whom the Jets selected No. 3 overall in 2019. Gardner, a two-time All-Pro, heads to Indianapolis while Williams, a three-time Pro Bowler, joins the Cowboys.
"[It's] never easy moving on from any player, let alone guys like Sauce and Quinnen, who have part of this organization and a part of this team this year," Mougey said. "But we put a lot of effort leading up into this day. We meet weekly as a staff to discuss our roster and the potential trade values of our players."
Mougey, who said the staff sets values for players that ebb and flow throughout the season, was presented with offers on Tuesday that he felt were "too good for the team" to pass up. The Jets received two first-round draft picks in the deal with Indianapolis -- one in 2026 and another in 2027 -- as well as a second-round draft pick in 2026, and another first-round pick in 2027 from Dallas.
"Throughout the year, I have a lot of discussions around the league with different GMs, a lot of discussions with players," Mougey said. "You never know how they're going to materialize. … When it came down to the last few days, Indianapolis kept getting richer and richer with their value."