The New York Jets are blowing it all up and starting over. At least mostly anyway.
Jets General Manager Darren Mougey and the front office took a major step toward the future by trading away two Pro Bowl players for a ton of draft capital it will plan to use in the near future.
First New York dealt Ahmad Sauce Gardner to the Indianapolis Colts for two first round picks (one in 2026 and another in 2027), and wide receiver Adonai Mitchell, and, then traded away defensive tackle Quinnen Williams to the Dallas Cowboys for a second round pick in 2026, a first round pick in 2027, and tackle Mazi Smith.
By the time the 4 p.m. trade deadline came and went, the Jets did not trade away running back Breece Hall, who according to Jordan Schultz, wanted to be traded out of New York. The Jets were looking for a third round pick, didn't get it.
Quinnen's brother, linebacker Quincy Williams was also not traded.
Wide receiver Garrett Wilson will also remain in New York. According to Connor Hughes of SNY, teams called the Jets on Wilson especially after it was clear they had traded Gardner, who, like Wilson, signed a four-year contract extension in the off-season.
The Jet deem Wilson untouchable at the moment.
Both the Saunce Gardner and Quinnen Williams trade came with plenty of shock, as it shook NFL circles. As mentioned above, the Jets had just signed Gardner to a four-year extension worth $120.4 million. Indianapolis will pay down a small portion of Gardner's remaining 2025 salary, before taking on a huge chunk of it in 2026.
Trading Gardner is a risk/reward move. On one hand he is a good cover guy who can blanket some of the league's best receivers.
At the same time, he never really reached the heights many expected of him. Since he break out rookie year, where was named Rookie of the Year, his production has slipped, with only one interception and one forced fumble to show for it in the last three seasons. That's not good for a guy who is touted as one of the best cover corners in the NFL.
Perhaps moving to Indianapolis will rejuvenate Gardner, and he can finally live up to his potential, but he was never the next Darrell Revis.
As for Williams, according to Hughes, his relationship with the Jets started to deteriorate when Aaron Glenn and Mougey decided to part ways with quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Hughes stated that Williams made three separate requests for a trade, and finally got it granted today. He heads to Dallas, a team that was interested in acquiring him earlier in the season.
Williams is a special talent. He plays a three-technique position and can rush the passer. In six-plus years with the Jets, Williams totaled 40 sacks and eight forced fumbles. He was a menace on the Jets defensive line, a captain and leader the past several years. He will be missed no doubt.
It was obvious this year that something was a miss, because Williams production was slipping this year. He had only one sack in eight games, and wasn't having the kind of impact we have seen from him in the past.
Perhaps, now, heading to Dallas - a team that is hanging on by a thread for the playoffs will rejuvenate him too.
DRAFT PICKS
To parse from the Forrest Gump quote that like is like a box of chocolates, "you never know what you're gonna get," the same can be said for draft picks.
They are lottery tickets, and you never know what will come out of it. But Mougey wheeled and dealed his way to obtaining three first rounders, one of which will be for next April's Draft. At the moment the Jets stand to have as many as two picks on Day One of the draft. And that is HUGE.
Joe Douglas was a beneficiary of that when he started and wound up getting guys like Gardner, Garrett Wilson, and Alijah Vera-Tucker.
Years prior, Bill Parcells and Mike Tannenbaum wheeled and dealed their way to multiple first day picks in 2000 and wound up with Chad Pennington, John Abraham and Shaun Ellis.
You never know what might come out of it, but at the very least the Jets have positioned themselves to make a big splash. One would think one of those picks will be used on a quarterback in April. The other picks will go toward replacing Gardner, Williams and perhaps beefing up wide receiver and the O-Line. Stay tuned.
Then again, the Jets could use their plethora of draft capital to move up or down the board, or even trade for a starting caliber player (maybe some else's starting quarterback) in the off-season.
Comments