Jets reportedly trade star cornerback Sauce Gardner to Colts in stunning deadline deal

Sauce Gardner went from last place to first and teammate Quinnen Williams also is on the move in separate blockbuster trades.

The New York Jets agreed to trade two star defensive players for draft picks and players in an effort to rebuild a franchise that has the longest active playoff drought in the NFL.

Gardner, a two-time All-Pro cornerback, goes to the Indianapolis Colts on Tuesday for two first-round draft picks and wide receiver Adonai Mitchell.

The Jets will receive the Colts' first-round selection in 2026 and in 2027.

Williams is heading to the Dallas Cowboys for a second-round pick in 2026, a first-round pick in 2027 and defensive tackle Mazi Smith, two people with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the teams hadn't announced the trade.

The Jets will get the better of the Dallas' two firsts in 2027. They acquired a pair of first-rounders when they sent two-time All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons to Green Bay before the season. The Cowboys (3-5-1) have the second-worst defence in the NFL and made two moves to bolster that unit ahead of the NFL's trade deadline at 4 p.m. EST.

The Cowboys acquired linebacker Logan Wilson from the Cincinnati Bengals for a seventh-round pick in early Tuesday.

In other moves, wide receiver Jakobi Meyers goes to Jacksonville from Las Vegas for draft picks in the fourth and sixth rounds.

The Seattle Seahawks got wideout Rashid Shaheed from the New Orleans Saints for picks in the fourth and fifth rounds, a person with knowledge of the deal told the AP on condition of anonymity because the teams haven't announced.

Gardner, an All-Pro selection in his first two seasons, signed a four-year, $120.4 million contract extension with the Jets in