Sportsnaut
Before Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline, the New York Jets made the most of a disastrous start to the 2025 season and ended up becoming the biggest winners before 4 PM ET.
Entering Week 10, the Jets owned the second-worst record in the league at 1-7. Year one for head coach Aaron Glen and general manager Darren Mougey has been a major disappointment. But for a franchise that has not reached the playoffs since 2010, turning this ship around was never going to be quick.
So instead of being delusional about their situation, the Jets’ front office saw an opportunity to turn a big negative into a potential rich positive before today’s trade deadline. First came the biggest surprise of the day. In a move no one expected, New York took advantage of an Indianapolis Colts team looking to make the most of a shockingly good season in 2025 when they sent star cornerback Sauce Gardner to Indy for not one, but two first-round picks.
It was a better return than when they traded legendary cornerback Darrelle Revis to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2013. And Revis is a far better player than the two-time Pro Bowler. Yet, the Jets weren’t done there.
A little over an hour before the NFL trade deadline, it was revealed that the Jets were also offloading the heart of their defensive line, Quinnen Williams. New York sent the three-time Pro Bowler to the Dallas Cowboys for a 2026 second-round pick, a 2027 first-rounder, and DT Mazi Smith.
Does losing a pair of Pro Bowl talents hurt the Jets? Of course. However, they have just one W with them this year, and haven’t reached the playoffs since they’ve been on the roster. This franchise needed a major shakeup and boost to its rebuild. The pair of blockbuster trades does that.
Jets future draft picks after today’s trades:
2026
🏈1st-round pick (NYJ)
🏈1st-round pick (IND)
🏈2nd-round pick (NYJ)
🏈2nd-round pick (DAL)2027
🏈1st-round pick (NYJ)
🏈1st-round pick (DAL)
🏈1st-round pick (IND) https://t.co/rea59x9G9h— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 4, 2025
Now, the Jets have a fantastic assortment of picks in the first and second rounds for the next two years. In April, they will have two first-rounders and two second-rounders. Then in 2027, they will have a whopping three first-round picks. Those are great assets to supercharge their rebuild after this season.
However, another important thing to note is that moving those contracts will give New York a boatload of salary cap space in the spring. Following the two trades, the Jets now have the third most salary cap space this upcoming offseason with $117 million (via Spotrac).
So they can not only bring in some impactful rookies in the next draft, but also add meaningful veterans to pair with them in 2026 and beyond. While this has been a miserable season for the...
