INDIANAPOLIS — New Indianapolis Colts cornerback Sauce Gardner isn’t giving up his trademark No. 1.
Gardner has apparently convinced Indianapolis slot receiver Josh Downs to switch to No. 2, opening up the No. 1 jersey that Gardner has worn through his days in college at Cincinnati and four seasons with the New York Jets.
Downs announced the change, posting an edit of himself wearing a No. 2 with the caption “2 slippery” on his social media accounts Tuesday. Downs had worn No. 1 since the Colts drafted him in the third round of the 2023 draft.
He wore No. 11 at North Carolina. And 1+1=2, so there’s some symmetry there. Also, Caleb Downs, the All-American Ohio State safety and Josh’s brother, wears No. 2.
2 slippery pic.twitter.com/v1OuqumByw
— Glory to God. (@JoshDowns) November 4, 2025
The Colts traded two first-round picks and wide receiver Adonai Mitchell to the Jets on Tuesday to get Gardner, and the number clearly meant something to Gardner. A number change like this often involves some kind of negotiations between the players, but neither Downs or Gardner has revealed any kind of details on the decision yet.
Gardner reportedly paid teammate D.J. Reed $50,000 to get No. 1 for the Jets after they picked him No. 4 overall in the 2022 draft.
Joel A. Erickson and Nathan Brown cover the Colts all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Colts Insider newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indianapolis Colts: Sauce Gardner to wear No. 1, Josh Downs change number
