Sauce Gardner Contract: How Much Colts Owe All-pro Cornerback After Trade With Jets

The Colts landed All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner from nan Jets connected Tuesday successful an NFL waste and acquisition deadline blockbuster. Luckily for Indianapolis, Gardner comes pinch a statement hold already successful nan bag.

Gardner’s presence will reshape nan Colts’ secondary, turning it into a strength, particularly erstwhile starter Charvarius Ward is backmost successful nan lineup. While nan team’s caller summation will bring elite screen skills, he besides won’t beryllium cheap. Gardner agreed to a four-year, $120.4 cardinal statement hold with New York earlier nan play started. That woody made nan 25-year-old nan highest-paid cornerback successful NFL history.

The woody to onshore Gardner was pricey. Indianapolis gave up 2 first-round picks and wide receiver Adonai Mitchell, while besides importing their caller prima cornerback’s monolithic contract.

Gardner’s $120 cardinal woody included $40.5 cardinal successful guaranteed money astatine signing and $85.4 cardinal successful full guarantees. The woody carries an mean yearly worth of $30.1 million.

Despite being a two-time All-Pro, Gardner is being paid nan convention minimum for nan remainder of nan play and will play connected his fifth-year rookie statement action successful 2026. The statement hold won’t really footwear successful until nan 2026 season. That’s erstwhile things get pricey.

According to SI’s Albert Breer, Gardner will make $25.5 cardinal successful 2026, $24.95 cardinal successful 2027, and $20.2 cardinal successful 2028. While nan Colts beryllium that money, Gardner’s headdress deed is only $9.5 cardinal for 2026, though his woody has a $20 cardinal action prize and a $10 cardinal action prize successful 2027. It besides contained a $13.75 cardinal signing bonus.

Additionally, Gardner is owed $30.1 cardinal successful 2029 and 2030, but location would beryllium nary headdress deed if nan Colts merchandise him. If nan 2 sides for illustration their pairing, it’s almost definite his woody will beryllium reworked wrong nan first 2 years.

If Gardner plays to an All-Pro level, his statement will beryllium worthy it for nan Colts. As will nan value they paid to get him.

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