One of the biggest questions that quickly arose when the Colts acquired Sauce Gardner in a trade with the New York Jets on Tuesday was what number the cornerback would wear.
From the moment Gardner joined the NFL in 2022, he's worn No. 1. But the Colts already had a No. 1: wide receiver Josh Downs, who had worn the number since his rookie year in 2023. And yet, just hours after the trade was announced on Tuesday, there was another piece of breaking news from the Colts: Downs would be switching to No. 2, allowing Gardner to take ownership of No. 1.
"A good little friendly transaction, man," Downs said Tuesday. "New teammate, wanted to make it easy for him. We appreciate him being here. I know he's been number one and I know that number means a lot to him."
Gardner has worn No. 1 since his junior year of college at Cincinnati, when he was inspired to make the switch thanks to a nickname of "A1" bestowed to him by a youth coach when he was six years old. That season, after making the switch, Gardner received first-team AP All-America and AAC Defensive Player of the Year honors.
And ironically enough, Downs puts more meaning behind No. 2 than he does No. 1: Downs' younger brother Caleb, currently a standout safety at Ohio State, wears No. 2.
"He was excited, we wearing the same number now," Downs said with a smile. "(No. 1) was just given to me when I got here. I like that number too, but you can't go wrong -- one, two, three, all them single digits are fine. So I was like 'Hey, I'm cool with it.'"
With the move, Downs also represented the kind of culture the Colts have fully embraced this season: team comes first.
"Be selfless," he said. "Just do anything for the guys."
