Jets' GM Darren Mougey said trading Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams is not a 'teardown'

"Sauce Gardner was traded to the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for two first-round picks. Additionally, Quinnen Williams was traded to the Dallas Cowboys for a first and second-round selection. An absolutely stunning move by the first-year general manager, Darren Mougey. Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Mougey explained that trading Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams was not a "teardown" for New York."

"On July 22, 2025, the New York Jets signed CB Suace Gardner to a four-year deal worth $120.4 million. He was set to be under contract with the Jets through the 2030 season. However, New York was offered a trade package for Gardner that they could not refuse. The Jets traded Sauce Garnder to the Indianapolis Colts on Tuesday, October 4. In return, the Jets received the Colts' first-round picks in 2026 and 2027, along with WR Adoni Mitchell."

"That was not the only trade New York made ahead of Tuesday's deadline. General manager Darren Mougey traded defensive lineman Quinnen Williams to the Dallas Cowboys. Williams was the third overall pick by New York in the 2019 NFL draft out of Alabama. In the trade with Dallas, the Jets received a 2026 second-round and 2027 first-round pick from the Cowboys. The pick in 2027 will be the most favorable of Dallas' two first-round picks that year."

On October 4, 2025 at 4:00 p.m. EST the New York Jets traded two defensive cornerstones before the NFL trade deadline. Cornerback Sauce Gardner was sent to the Indianapolis Colts for the Colts' 2026 and 2027 first-round picks and wide receiver Adoni Mitchell. Defensive lineman Quinnen Williams was traded to the Dallas Cowboys for a 2026 second-round pick and Dallas' more favorable 2027 first-round pick. Gardner had signed a four-year, $120.4 million deal on July 22, 2025 extending through 2030. Williams was the third overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft out of Alabama. General manager Darren Mougey called the moves not a teardown. The Jets now hold multiple first-round selections in 2026 and 2027.

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