The same day the Jacksonville Jaguars traded for wide receiver Jakobi Meyers, the Indianapolis Colts sent two first-round picks to the New York Jets in return for All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner.
While pricy Gardner gives the Gang Green a shutdown corner that will massively increase their chances of earning one of the top playoff seeds in the conference. All things considered, it was a great move, and you'll be hard-pressed to find someone who didn't like it, even when you take the price tag into account.
Heck, one analyst and former NFL exec used the Gardner trade as an excuse to take a jab at the Jaguars.
Micah Parsons and Sauce Gardner were cheaper than what the Jaguars paid to draft Travis Hunter
Joe Banner took to Twitter to say paying for the right to draft Travis Hunter is one of the worst trades ever, noting that Indy and the Packers paid less for Gardner and Micah Parsons, respectively.
For context, the Jaguars gave up their 2025 first-round pick, their 2025 second-round selection, and a 2026 first-round pick in return for the second overall selection in this year's draft, which they used to select the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, and a fourth-round pick, which became Bayshul Tuten.
Meanwhile, the Colts gave up two first-round selections for Gardner. For their part, Green Bay sent two first-round selections and defensive tackle Kenny Clark to the Cowboys in return for Parsons. Basically, trading for Hunter was more expensive because of the second-rounder in 2025.
Cicling back to Banner's critique of the Jags, he makes a compelling point. Both Gardner and Parsons are All-Pros, while Hunter has only appeared in seven games and registered 28 receptions for 298 yards with one touchdown. Then again, he was just hitting his stride before suffering a knee injury that landed him on Injured Reserve.
Related: Biggest winners and losers from the Jakobi Meyers trade
The Jaguars gladly paid a hefty price to draft Travis Hunter
Nobody will deny that the Jaguars paid a hefty price to select Travis Hunter, but that's the cost of acquiring a premium draft selection. For instance, back in 2011, the Falcons gave up two first-round picks, two fourths, and one second to choose wide receiver Julio Jones.
Granted, Jones went on to have a Hall-of-Fame caliber career, and Hunter is off to a somewhat slow start to his rookie season, but it's too early to fully assess the trade when you take into account that Micah Parsons and Sauce Gardner have already accrued several seasons each.
If Travis Hunter failed to become the sport-altering talent that the Jaguars expected in three or four years, you can then chastize the Jaguars. In the meantime, it's not fair to compare him to either Micah Parsons or Sauce Gardner.