Tuesday, October 4, at 4:00 p.m. EST was the 2025 NFL trade deadline. To the surprise of many, the New York Jets were sellers. The team parted ways with two franchise cornerstones on their defense.
Sauce Gardner was traded to the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for two first-round picks. Additionally, Quinnen Williams was traded to the Dallas Cowboys for a first and second-round selection. An absolutely stunning move by the first-year general manager, Darren Mougey. Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Mougey explained that trading Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams was not a “teardown” for New York.
The Jets parted ways with two franchise cornerstones at the 2025 trade deadline
Jets GM Darren Mougey said the trades of Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams are not a “teardown.”
Story via @RichCimini:https://t.co/QV1wDYE5pV
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 5, 2025
On July 22, 2025, the New York Jets signed CB Suace Gardner to a four-year deal worth $120.4 million. He was set to be under contract with the Jets through the 2030 season. However, New York was offered a trade package for Gardner that they could not refuse. The Jets traded Sauce Garnder to the Indianapolis Colts on Tuesday, October 4. In return, the Jets received the Colts’ first-round picks in 2026 and 2027, along with WR Adoni Mitchell.
That was not the only trade New York made ahead of Tuesday’s deadline. General manager Darren Mougey traded defensive lineman Quinnen Williams to the Dallas Cowboys. Williams was the third overall pick by New York in the 2019 NFL draft out of Alabama. In the trade with Dallas, the Jets received a 2026 second-round and 2027 first-round pick from the Cowboys. The pick in 2027 will be the most favorable of Dallas’ two first-round picks that year.
Jets future draft picks after today’s trades:
2026
🏈1st-round pick (NYJ)
🏈1st-round pick (IND)
🏈2nd-round pick (NYJ)
🏈2nd-round pick (DAL)2027
🏈1st-round pick (NYJ)
🏈1st-round pick (DAL)
🏈1st-round pick (IND) https://t.co/rea59x9G9h— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 4, 2025
Speaking with the media on Tuesday, Jets GM Darren Mougey had to answer a ton of questions. With the moves they made yesterday, it’s evident the Jets are thinking about the 2026 season and beyond. However, Mougey said the team hasn’t given up in 2025. Additionally, Darren Mougey said the trades by the Jets on Tuesday are not a “teardown” for the team.
New York is the first team since 1967 to make multiple in-season trades to acquire a first-round pick. Now, the Jets are at a turning point in their franchise. They’ve traded away two defensive gems and are still searching for a franchise QB. The team is loaded with first-round draft capital to try and find their QB of the future.