Colts Hyped as AFC Super Bowl Favorites by NFL Fans After Sauce Gardner Trade

The Indianapolis Colts have added two-time All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner from the New York Jets for a pair of first-round draft picks and wide receiver AD Mitchell.

After that blockbuster move, plenty of NFL fans see the 7-2 Colts as AFC and Super Bowl favorites.

Gardner was the No. 4 overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft out of Cincinnati. He burst onto the scene quickly with an NFL-high 20 pass breakups en route to All-Pro honors and the Associated Press' Defensive Rookie of the Year award.

The cornerback was an All-Pro yet again in 2023, although he didn't fare as well in 2024. He allowed 16.4 yards per completion as opposed to 9.8 in 2022 and 10.7 in 2023, per Pro Football Reference. His pass rating when targeted went up to 86.9 from 62.7 in 2022 and 80.3 in 2023.

The Jets are under new leadership with general manager Darren Mougey and head coach Aaron Glenn now aboard. One of their biggest offseason moves was signing Gardner to a four-year, $120.4 million extension.

Gardner only played seven games for the Jets after signing that deal.

In 2025, Gardner's completion rate allowed is a career-low 46.4 percent. However, he's allowed some big plays, including a career-high 17.3 yards per completion. His passer rating when targeted has also gone up again to 98.1.

Pro Football Focus has Gardner as the 21st-ranked cornerback out of 103 players thus far.

In some ways, Gardner's play over time looks like it's trending in the wrong direction, and trading a pair of first-round picks for him is a major gamble considering his current deal.

That said, if Gardner returns to his older form, when he was an elite shutdown cornerback that quarterbacks faced difficulty attacking, then this is a huge win for the Colts. The 25-year-old Gardner is certainly capable of being the pass-defending superstar this team needs right now. Indianapolis is allowing 244.8 passing yards per game, the seventh-highest mark in football, so a move for a cornerback before the deadline certainly makes sense.

As it stands, Indianapolis is announcing that it thinks this team should be a Super Bowl contender. The Colts have already matched their win total from last year in part because of a sensational offense that's propelled the team to an NFL-high 32.2 points per game. A 27-20 loss last Sunday at the Pittsburgh Steelers is a stutter step, but Indianapolis is still atop the AFC right now.

The Colts hope to say there on Sunday with Gardner now aboard when they welcome the Atlanta Falcons to town.