After a brutal 1-7 start to the 2025 NFL season, it was clear that the New York Jets would enter the trade deadline as sellers.

However, while many fans believed that general manager Darren Mougey would part ways with players such as EDGE Jermaine Johnson and running back Breece Hall, this was not the case on Tuesday.

Instead, New York decided to move off both cornerback Sauce Gardner and defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, who are both regarded as two of the best playmakers for the struggling franchise.

Following the major fire sale, Mougey addressed the media on Tuesday evening, stating that it’s never easy to move off players like Gardner and Williams.

“In regard to the trade deadline and the trades that were made today, a lot of work goes into it,” Mougey stated. “Never an easy day, a lot of tough decisions. [It’s] never easy moving on from any player, let alone guys like Sauce [Gardner] and Quinnen [Williams], who have been a part of this organization and a part of this team this year.”

The newly-hired general manager kicked off his historic fire sale with a massive deal that sent Gardner to the Indianapolis Colts. In return, the Jets received both the Colts’ 2026 and 2027 first-round picks, along with former 2024 second-round wide receiver AD Mitchell.

Before fans could even process the trade, Mougey quickly made his next move, sending Williams to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for a 2027 first-round pick, a 2026 second-round pick, and former 2023 first-round defensive tackle Mazi Smith.

Following his opening remarks on Tuesday, Mougey also claimed that the offers New York received for both Gardner and Williams were “too good for the team.”

“We put a lot of effort leading up to this day,” Mougey continued. “We meet weekly as a staff to discuss our roster and the potential trade values of our players. And we do this weekly as we go through the season leading up to [the trade deadline], so we have these values kind of set and these [compensations] discussed as we go through the season...We go to today and had these offers that we just felt were too good for the team, and we made that with Sauce and Quinnen."

Both Gardner and Williams have been key playmakers on the defensive side of the ball for the Jets, but with the new regime in place for the organization, it’s obvious that a complete overhaul was needed to prepare for the future. Now, New York has two first and two second-round picks for the 2026 NFL Draft, along with three first-round picks for the following draft.

In addition to the stashing of draft picks, both trades featured two young, promising players in Mitchell and Smith.

Mitchell, who was part of a crowded wide receiver room in Indianapolis, now has the chance to become the second wideout alongside star Garrett Wilson. As for Smith, he will now become a key piece of the Jets’ defensive line with Williams out of the picture.