Sauce Gardner Shares Sad Five-Word Message After Blockbuster Trade to Colts

In one of the most shocking deadline day deals, the Jets traded star cornerback Sauce Gardner to the Indianapolis Colts on Tuesday.

It's no secret that the 1-7 Jets look like sellers ahead of the Nov. 4 trade deadline, but it was rather stunning to see the franchise deal arguably their biggest franchise star just months after making Gardner the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history. The Colts are sending their first-round picks in 2026 and '27 plus a player in return for Gardner, according to NFL's Tom Pelissero.

In the aftermath of the trade, Gardner shared a simple and sad message on his X (formerly Twitter) account:

"New York it's been real," Gardner wrote, adding a green heart.

New York it's been real💚
— SAUCE GARDNER (@iamSauceGardner) November 4, 2025

Gardner, 24, was in the middle of his fourth season with the Jets and earned back-to-back All-Pro nods in his first two years in New York. Despite a middling start to his 2025 campaign, he'll now take his defensive talents to the secondary-needy Colts, who currently lead the AFC with a 7-2 record.

As for the Jets, a team that once boasted one of the league's most fearsome cornerback duos in Gardner and D.J. Reed (who walked in free agency last offseason) are now severely handicapped in their defensive backfield. With the Jets' underperforming offense still struggling to find any consistent rhythm through nine weeks of the season, this could end up being a very, very long year for Gang Green.