The Jets traded star cornerback Sauce Gardner to the Colts in a shocking move ahead of the NFL trade deadline on Tuesday. Fans immediately began wondering if Gardner would make his Indianapolis debut in Week 10 when the Colts face the Falcons in Berlin, Germany. The only reason his status seemed questionable is because he was actively in concussion protocol when traded to the Colts.
As of Thursday, though, Gardner cleared concussion protocol, setting him up to start in Sunday’s early-morning contest for the Colts, Fox59’s Mike Chappell reported. Gardner joins the 7-2 Colts as they look to continue dominating the AFC.
Gardner had just inked a four-year extension with the Jets worth $120 million in mid-July, and now Gardner's new team will pay him $131.5 million for 5 1/2 years of services, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported at the time of the trade.
The cornerback wasn’t the only big trade the Jets made on Tuesday. New York also traded defensive tackle Quinnen Williams to the Cowboys. It was quite the shake-up for the 1-7 Jets, but general manager Woody Johnson later admitted the offers were “too good” to pass up.
Through seven games so far this season (he missed the Week 8 matchup vs. the Bengals), Gardner has notched 20 tackles.
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