Colts general manager Chris Ballard reflects on the team’s aggressive trade for Sauce Gardner, and his thoughts may shock you
Things didn’t go to plan for the Colts after their big trade for Sauce Gardner, but that doesn’t mean the team is ready to call the move a failure.
After watching the Indianapolis Colts’ terrible collapse, which included seven straight losses to finish the season, everyone assumes that the team regrets trading two first-round picks for Sauce Gardner.
The Colts made this aggressive move after starting the year 7-2 ahead of the NFL’s trade deadline. They had aspirations to build on their early-season success and put together a deep playoff run. Instead, they went on to miss the playoffs for a fifth straight year and don’t even have their first-round pick to lean on this offseason.
General manager Chris Ballard recently held his annual end-of-season press conference early this week. He had to answer questions about whether he should have been brought back for a 10th season. It also shouldn’t surprise anyone that Ballard was asked to reflect on the trade for Gardner, and his thoughts might surprise you.
Colts GM Chris Ballard says he would do the Sauce Gardner trade again, even knowing how the season ended
Ballard mentioned that, along with Gardner’s clear talent, his age and contract played a key role in the Colts’ decision to trade for the star CB. While some may think the team regrets the trade after missing the playoffs, the Colts GM made it clear that he would do the trade again, even knowing how their season ended.
“Sauce has a really bright future, and he’s going to be a core piece here for us for a while — I’d still do the move today,” Ballard said.
Ballard went on to share that the Colts’ vision was to pair Gardner with Charvarius Ward, who, before his concussions, was having a great start to his tenure with the Colts. He believed the trade would give them two premier No. 1 CBs, which is something multiple teams would give an arm and a leg to have added to their roster.
If you were expecting Ballard to walk back the trade now, I don’t think you are looking at the whole picture. The Colts’ primary goal now is to make the playoffs in 2026, and Gardner will play a crucial role in achieving it. Ballard is saying what he has to, but the reality is that how the Colts perform in 2026 will determine whether the trade for Gardner was a good investment for the team.
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