Oct 19, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Jets linebacker Jamien Sherwood (44) and cornerback Sauce Gardner (1) celebrate a defensive stop in the first quarter against the Carolina Panthers at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

It's been a bad day for the New York Jets.

With the trade deadline closing Tuesday at 4 PM EST, franchises across the NFL are jockeying to make moves to shore up their rosters or unload talent dissatisfied with their roles in their current organizations. For the Jets, they saw an already-tough season get worse as they lost two primary defensive weapons in trades ahead of the deadline, as they officially parted ways with cornerback Sauce Gardner and defensive tackle Quinnen Williams.

The bad news kicked off with the loss of Gardner, who has been sent to the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for 2026 and 2027 first-round draft selections and Colts' wideout AD Mitchell. Gardner is a two-time All-Pro and Pro Bowl selection who was the fourth-overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft and the 2022 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. Gardner has just signed a four-year contract extension this past offseason for over $120 million, and has tallied 20 tackles (15 solo) and six pass deflections so far this season.

Williams, meanwhile, was shipped off to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for a second-round draft selection in 2026 and a first-round draft selection in 2027. Williams was the third overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft and is a three-time Pro Bowl selection for the Jets. He has tallied 32 tackles (17 solo) and one sack this season, while also recording three forced fumbles (tied for third in the NFL). Rumors indicate he's a name the Jets wanted to keep, but that his unhappiness with the team's 1-7 start, combined with contract guarantees set to expire this offseason, led to his trade this week ahead of the deadline.

This article originally appeared on Touchdown Wire: Jets trade Sauce Gardner, Quinnen Williams ahead of NFL trade deadline

Reporting by Joe Smith, Touchdown Wire / Touchdown Wire

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