There’s suddenly a second AFC East race — and the Dolphins and Jets are battling in it after a blockbuster trade
It’s the race we need, not the one we deserve.
The Miami Dolphins‘ rivalry with the New York Jets suddenly looks a little different. Miami has already scored a home win on Monday Night Football against the Jets earlier this season, one of two victories for Miami on the year. But when the Dolphins suit up to play the Jets again later this season, things are going to look dramatically different than they have in recent years thanks to a blockbuster deadline deal.
The Jets have completely remodeled their long-term outlook and shipped out star cornerback Sauce Gardner — kickstarting a different kind of AFC East race this season.
Dolphins no longer need to prep for CB Sauce Gardner twice a year
New York, just months after extending Gardner on a then-record contract extension, has shipped him to Indianapolis for 2026 and 2027 first-round draft choices and wide receiver AD Mitchell. It’s a massive shift for the Jets and a monumental change for the hierarchy of defensive players in the AFC East. The trade comes one day after Miami shipped pass rusher Jaelan Phillips to the Philadelphia Eagles.
While the Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots assume a race for the top of the division in 2025, the Jets and Dolphins are embarked on a rat race of their own for marquee draft capital amid rebuilds. This is, sadly, familiar for both franchises amid the Tom Brady dynasty in New England — you need to be bold, load up and take swings to try to build a winner and compete with the best of the best. Buffalo has held serve atop this division for several seasons now, with New England finding traction in 2025 to contend with them.
The Jets made wholesale changes this past offseason. The Dolphins will make theirs this time around. Both will be rolling into the winter months with surplus draft picks now, thanks in part to a blockbuster trade that’s shaken the league from top to bottom.
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