Heading into their bye week last season, the Indianapolis Colts were 8-2 and looked destined not only to make the playoffs but to challenge for a championship. At last year’s trade deadline, the Colts believed their championship window was open and mortgaged the future for the now. They sent a 2026 first-round pick, a 2027 first-round pick, and Adonai Mitchell to the New York Jets in exchange for corner back Sauce Gardner.

Gardner was the fourth overall selection in the 2022 NFL Draft out of Cincinnati. He was billed as a can’t-miss prospect, and he lived up to that billing in New York. He won NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, earned First-team All-Pro honors twice, and made the Pro Bowl twice. Eventually, he earned a four-year, $120.4 million contract extension in 2025. He played only 7 games before the Colts shipped him. He helped the team win in overtime against the Atlanta Falcons before the bye week.

The Colts faced the Chiefs off their bye week and lost 23-20 in overtime.…