Breaking down the biggest moves from the 2026 NFL trade deadline
USA TODAY Sports’ Prince Grimes recaps the biggest moves from the 2026 NFL trade deadline.
No team was as busy as the New York Jets at the NFL trade deadline today.
New York shipped out two franchise cornerstones, Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams, in the final hours before the 4 p.m. ET deadline. The Jets sent Gardner to Indianapolis for a first-round pick in the 2026 and 2027 NFL Draft as well as wide receiver Adonai Mitchell. They later sent Williams to Dallas for a first-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft, a second-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft and defensive tackle Mazi Smith.
That’s quite a haul and a roster reset for New York. Gardner is in his age-25 season and Williams is in his age-28 season. New York just handed Gardner an extension this past offseason that made him the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history. Less than four months later, he’s on a different team.
These are franchise-altering moves for the Jets. With just one win over the team’s first eight games, it’s not entirely surprising to see them be sellers at the trade deadline. Just a few expected them to sell this much, though.
On days like today, there are always winners and losers. Here’s who we have as the four winners and four losers from the Jets’ flurry of deals today:
WINNERSDarren Mougey
These moves are made with an eye to the long term. New York will now have five first-round picks over the next two drafts combined as well as an extra second-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. It cost them the franchise’s two best players but this shows the Jets are taking a rebuild from the ground up. You don’t do that without some sense of security.
These moves clear up plenty of cap space for the team in the coming years and offer the ammunition to fundamentally rebuild the team how Mougey and the rest of the front office see fit. That’s good for him but comes with a cost. These first-round picks could be young players worth building around, or they could end up as wasted assets that won’t come close to what Williams and Gardner could do on the field.
Aaron Glenn
Similar to Mougey, these moves likely give Glenn the runway to know he’s far from the hot seat. You don’t just ship out your two best players who happen to play the side of the ball your coach specializes in without some understanding that this is for the long haul.
Glenn can now work in some of the players added in the secondary during the 2025 offseason via the draft and free agency. He can mold it into the image he wants, making the most of the resources at his disposal with some security.
Sauce Gardner
Gardner was having an off season by his high standards in 2025. His passer rating allowed when targeted of 118.8 this season is a career-high; his next-highest was 88.8 last year, per NFL Pro stats. He’s allowed two touchdowns in coverage over seven games; that matches his season-long total from 2022 and 2023.
Now, he gets shipped to a contender in Indianapolis who has a need at his position. There’s a good chance he’ll make the playoffs this season without having to sacrifice anything financially. He’ll have Kenny Moore II in the slot near him, which will take some pressure off, given how well Moore’s playing.
2027 New York Jets
In two seasons’ time, New York could have a vastly different-looking roster than what we’ll see in Week 10. Cap flexibility will allow them to chase free agents (George Pickens, anyone?) and the draft capital can allow the franchise to acquire more top-end talent. The first two rounds of the NFL Draft typically produce the most talent and having extra shots in that range will help the team’s long-term outlook.
LOSERS2025 New York Jets
The long-term outlook may be rosy but the short term, not so much. The 1-7 Jets aren’t likely to turn things around without Williams, as the rest of the season is about seeing which younger players could become contributors sooner rather than later. Those growing pains won’t likely correlate to wins.
Breece Hall
Hall was heavily involved in trade rumors at the deadline and, after Williams and Gardner were moved, many expected the Jets’ running back to be next. Hall wanted out of New York and was “sick” after the team dealt their two defensive stars.
He’ll just have to wait a few more months to get out of Gotham. His rookie contract ends at the end of the 2025 season and he’ll enter free agency in 2026 with plenty of teams who will likely be interested in his services entering his age-25 season. So long as he avoids injury, he should be able to change his fortune.
Quincy Williams
Over the last few decades, lots of siblings have played in the NFL at the same time. Currently, there are the Williams brothers, Quincy and Quinnen; Luke and Christian McCaffrey; Nick and Joey Bosa; Stefon and Trevon Diggs; Trevor and Travis Etienne; and others. There aren’t many who play on the same team, though; Cameron and Connor Heyward do but on different sides of the ball.
Quincy has missed four games this season due to a shoulder injury. He returned in Week 8 for the Jets’ first win of the season. It’ll be his final game with his brother Quinnen until 2026 at the earliest if he decides to join him in Dallas.
Steve Wilks
The Jets’ defensive coordinator was doing a solid job with the unit given the circumstances. New York enters Week 10 ranked 11th-best in passing yards allowed per game. But now he’ll have to see the season out without Gardner and Williams, the unit’s two best players. Like Glenn, he can take this time to see how the younger players could fit long-term but he probably won’t be doing so with the same kind of job security.