Jets Make Historic Announcement After Wild NFL Trade Deadline

If you felt like that was the craziest New York Jets trade deadline you have ever seen, you’d be correct.

ESPN’s Rich Cimini shared on social media, “You might say this day was historic for the Jets, who became the first team in the common-draft era (since 1967) to make multiple in-season trades to acquire a first-round pick, per ESPN Research.”

Those two trades shook the very bedrock of the National Football League.

The Jets traded away two-time first-team All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner to the Indianapolis Colts. In exchange, they received a 2026 first-rounder, a 2027 first-rounder, and young wide receiver Adonai Mitchell.

A few hours later, they shipped off former first-team All-Pro Quinnen Williams to the Dallas Cowboys. In that deal, they received a 2026 second-round draft choice, a 2027 first-round draft choice (whatever the best pick is between the Cowboys and the Green Bay Packers), and defensive tackle Mazi Smith.

Massive Cap Savings Are Coming to the Jets

In 2023, the Jets made Williams the highest-paid player in franchise history in total value and average per year with his $96 million extension.

Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic revealed that, “the Jets wound up paying him $40.3 million for 24 games on the new deal, per Over the Cap.”

Over the summer, the Jets made Gardner the second-highest-paid player in franchise history to the tune of a four-year $120.4 million extension. That was the largest contract ever for a corner in NFL history.

The former Cincinnati product never played a game under that extension. It wouldn’t have gone into effect until 2026, per Rosenblatt.

Now the Jets are left with some dead cap to deal with.

“Williams will leave the Jets with $13.24 million in dead money in 2026 and $9.8 million in 2027 — that’s essentially money already paid that they can’t get back,” Rosenblatt explained.

For Gardner, they “will carry $8.75 million in dead cap this year and $11 million next year,” Rosenblatt wrote.

According to Over The Cap, the Jets have $100.10 million in dead money. That is the third-largest total of any team in the NFL in 2025, only behind the San Francisco 49ers ($101.12 million) and the New Orleans Saints ($101 million).

Next season, the Jets have another $71.24 million in dead money to deal with. That is the most in the NFL for 2026, per Over The Cap.

It isn’t all bad for the Jets; they will get some massive cap relief.

The green and white will save $18.1 million in cap space from moving off Williams and Gardner in 2026. In 2027, the Jets will save an additional $23.7 million, per Rosenblatt.

Jets Take Some Cheap Dart Throws at Positions of Need

Gang Green is armed with five future first-round draft choices over the next two years. However, that won’t help them for the rest of 2025.

In all of the trades the Jets executed over the last two weeks, they added young players with cheap team control.

“As for the players they traded for, defensive tackle Mazi Smith brings a $978,000 salary in 2025 and $2.56 million in 2026; wide receiver Adonai Mitchell is making $1.13 million in 2025 then $1.46 million in 2026 and $1.8 million in 2027; wide receiver John Metchie is making $1.8 million in the last year of his deal; and cornerback Ja’Sir Taylor is making $1.1 million,” Rosenblatt revealed.

Deshaun Watson's latest social media video hints he is close to a return

Nearly eleven months have passed since Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson suffered a torn Achilles tendon during Cleveland’s Week 7 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in 2024. After re-tearing the same tendon in January of this year, expectations were that Watson would miss a significant portion of the 2025 season.

However, Watson has aggressively attacked his rehab and now appears close to returning to the field. Quincy Avery, Watson's private QB coach, posted a video to social media showcasing his client's recovery.

Placed on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list in late August, Watson was guaranteed to miss at least the first four games of the season. Despite that, the Clemson product has remained actively involved, spending time at the team facility and staying connected with his teammates.

While it’s uncertain whether Watson will ever start another game for the Browns, the possibility can’t be dismissed. With 40-year-old Joe Flacco currently starting and rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders waiting in the wings, the Browns face an unsettled and unpredictable quarterback situation.

Browns owner Jimmy Haslam famously referred to the team’s 2022 trade for Watson as “a big swing-and-miss,” but the quarterback has remained defiant, promising to come back “way better than before.” How the organization will handle his return remains unclear, but one thing is certain: the Browns remain financially tied to Watson whether he's on the roster or not.

While coach-speak is common across the NFL, head coach Kevin Stefanski offered genuine praise for Watson back in August:;

“Deshaun’s doing awesome, he’s doing great,” Stefanski said. “I’m excited for him. I get to watch him work out as well. I get to be in the meeting room with him every single day. So, he’s doing great.”

During his Browns tenure, Watson boasts a 9–10 record as a starter, throwing for 3,365 yards with 19 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. While a sub-.500 record might not raise alarms on its own, advanced metrics tell a more concerning story. Before his 2024 injury, Watson ranked second-to-last—just ahead of Cooper Rush—in expected points added (EPA) among qualifying quarterbacks.

Though many Browns fans might cringe at the thought of Watson taking the field again, it’s a very real possibility. Cleveland has started four different quarterbacks in each of the past two seasons, and if Flacco falters or suffers an injury, and if Gabriel or Sanders fail to impress, Watson could once again find himself back under center—making it three straight seasons with a revolving door at quarterback.

In a year that began with low expectations and lingering uncertainty at the sport’s most important position, it’s impossible to rule out one final look at Deshaun Watson leading the Browns’ offense.

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