The Colts started Tuesday with 12-1 odds to win the Super Bowl, and that improved to 11-1 after acquiring Sauce Gardner from the New York Jets for two first-round draft picks. The Colts (7-2) obviously believe they have their strongest chance to win their first Lombardi Trophy since the 2006 season as they went all-in for the 25-year-old Gardner, who the Jets made the highest-paid cornerback in the offseason. Indianapolis travels to Berlin, Germany this weekend to face the Atlanta Falcons (9:30 a.m. ET, NFL Network), but it's uncertain if Gardner will be ready in time to play. The Colts are hopeful.
In fact, the former second-round pick has been a trade target since the preseason, although the Falcons haven't shown any desire to trade him up to this point. Fowler notes that Atlanta's front office will listen to offers on any players, leading the reporter to believe Ebiketie could be had for the right price. Ebiketie appeared to be a foundational piece as recently as last season.
The 49ers are among the teams interested in trading for Hendrickson, though Cincinnati is reportedly not interested in moving him. Other expected suitors include the Colts, Eagles, and Cowboys, per Sportskeeda's Tony Pauline. Hendrickson is owed $9.8MM for the rest of the season if traded after Week 8 ($8.9MM if after Week 9, per OverTheCap), and the Bengals will likely want an acquiring team to pick up all of his remaining salary.
Ford's due only $1.2 million over the rest of 2025, and he has averaged a respectable 4.4 yards per carry as a pro, often with dismal passing attacks. As a veteran back who can soak up meaningful touches now and complement Hampton after the rookie returns, Ford fits the sort of profile the Chargers would be looking to add via trade.
Evaluating NFL trades is an inexact science. In the moment, we can compare deals to similar ones from the past or look at what the widely held expectations were for a swap, but teams have information and insights that we don't necessarily have on the outside.
Let's grade trades from the 2025 NFL season. When a deal happens, we often hear the old adage that it will take years to know how well each team did in the deal. To that I say: nonsense. General managers don't get the benefit of hindsight while they are making their decisions, so why should we when evaluating those decisions?
