2025 NFL Trade Deadline Grades: Jets, Cowboys and Other Top Moves on Deadline Day

The 2025 NFL trade deadline was much more active than any of us anticipated, with the New York Jets providing us with a pair of surprising trades. 

New York shipped out star cornerback Sauce Gardner and defensive tackle Quinnen Williams in separate moves on Tuesday to give the Jets major draft capital. The Indianapolis Colts and Dallas Cowboys were the beneficiaries of the Jets' sudden fire sale, but did they give up too much for the defensive standouts? 

Let's dish out grades for each team involved in Tuesday's most notable trades on deadline day. 

Colts receive: CB Sauce Gardner
Jets receive: 2026 first-round pick, 2027 first-round pick, wide receiver Adonai Mitchell

This is a much bigger trade than most expected on Tuesday, and it's an all-in move for the Colts, even though their first-rounders are likely to be in the bottom 10 each of the next two years. Coming off a six-turnover loss, it feels a little panicky for Indianapolis, but this is a solid longterm addition that will have major weight in the playoffs as it tries to make an extended postseason push. 

Tuesday's deals should seal the No. 1 overall pick for the Jets, and they now have two first-round picks and two second-picks in 2026 and to go along with three first-round picks in 2027. Can Aaron Glenn survive long enough to see all these picks turn into stars on the field?

Jets: B+
Colts: B

Cowboys receive: DT Quinnen Williams
Jets receive: 2026 second-round pick, 2027 first-round pick, defensive tackle Mazi Smith

Why are the Cowboys buying? They're 3-5-1 and have a 4% chance to make the playoffs, per The Athletic's playoff simulator. The net of this and the Micah Parsons trade is to add two older, expensive defensive tackles to avoid paying a younger, elite edge