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Chris Ballard's Sauce Gardner Overpay is Only Looking Worse and Worse in 2026
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- Chris Ballard's Sauce Gardner Overpay is Only Looking Worse and Worse in 2026
This has been a nightmare season for the Indianapolis Colts. The team had playoff aspirations, but those fell flat, and the Colts now seem closer to being one of the worst teams in the league than a contender.
After a loss to the Tennessee Titans in Week 6, general manager Chris Ballard was fired . The GM had been in place for a decade, and a series of questionable drafts and just bad personnel decisions finally caught up to him.
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We could talk about several bad draft picks or free agency misses, but there's one move that's going to be talked about for years (in a negative way)- the Sauce Gardner trade .
At last year's deadline, the Colts sent two first-round picks and wide receiver Adonai Mitchell to the Jets for cornerback Sauce Gardner. Gardner was, at one point, considered a top cornerback in the league, but he has yet to record an interception as a Colt.
Gardner could theoretically go back to his elite form, but even if he does, it will be hard to justify this trade. In fact, this trade could be on pace to become one of the most lopsided trades of all time.
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Colts Deserve a Failing Grade for Gardner Trade
Aug 29, 2026; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indianapolis Colts cornerback Sauce Gardner (1) reacts after a play against the Detroit Lions during the first half at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-Imagn ImagesRobert Goddin-Imagn Images
Carter Bahns of CBS Sports recently re-graded the biggest deadline deals from a year ago. Of course, the Gardner trade was included, and Colts fans will probably want to look away.
Bahns gives the Colts an F grade and mentions that it's likely only getting worse for the Colts, considering they don't have their 2027 first-round pick, and that pick is on pace to land in the top five.
"The Gardner trade aged so poorly for Colts general manager Chris Ballard that it became a primary reason why the franchise fired him in the middle of the season," Bahns explained . "Nobody could have foreseen the stark regression the two-time All-Pro cornerback experienced upon his arrival in Indianapolis, but it is very real, and it looks awful in the context of what Ballard gave up to acquire him."
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As Bahns mentioned, this trade certainly didn't help Ballard's job status . Plus, Gardner is playing the worst football of his career, which couldn't have been predicted, but still makes the deal worse.
This trade also wouldn't look as bad if the Colts were at least a playoff team this year. Instead, the Jets are almost certainly getting a top-10 pick from the Colts. Can Gardner turn it around and make the deal less bad?
Potentially, but we probably shouldn't count on it. This is a deal the Colts won't live down for a long time.
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This story was originally published by Athlon on Oct 28, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add Athlon as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
