Indianapolis received Drew Stanton, 2012 7th round pick…
Indianapolis received Drew Stanton, 2012 7th round pick (214th overall, Tim Fugger), while the Jets received 2012 6th round pick (187th overall, Josh Bush). The hindsight grades are C+ for Indianapolis and B- for the Jets. The verdict is grounded in the actual starts, production, tenure and downstream draft results produced by those assets.
Indianapolis Colts Received
- player Drew Stanton
- pick 2012 7th round pick (214th overall, Tim Fugger )
New York Jets Received
- pick 2012 6th round pick (187th overall, Josh Bush )
Trade Analysis
The Exchange
On 2012-03-26, Indianapolis received Drew Stanton, 2012 7th round pick (214th overall, Tim Fugger), while the Jets received 2012 6th round pick (187th overall, Josh Bush). Hindsight is unusually useful here because the acquired assets now have a concrete NFL record. The grades can therefore be tied to what those players and picks actually produced for their new teams.
New York Jets Return
The Jets selected safety Josh Bush at No. 187. He spent parts of three seasons with New York, appearing in 35 games without a start. His Jets defensive totals were 29 tackles and one forced fumble, so the sixth-rounder became a special-teams and depth defensive back rather than a core starter. Those results are the basis for the Jets' B- grade.
Indianapolis Colts Return
Indianapolis received Drew Stanton and the seventh-round pick used on Tim Fugger. Stanton arrived as quarterback depth but did not attempt a regular-season pass for the Colts; Andrew Luck arrived that offseason and Stanton moved on after 2012. Fugger did not appear in a regular-season NFL game, leaving Indianapolis with little on-field production from the package. That record supports Indianapolis's C+ grade.
Value in Hindsight
The trade is best understood through those specific outcomes. The meaningful comparison is the actual games, starts, statistics, longevity and downstream draft use created by each side's return. A pick that was moved again is credited through the supported transaction chain, not by pretending the original team drafted a player it never selected.
Final Verdict
The verdict is New York Jets Win. The difference between the grades comes from the documented football return above, not from generic assumptions about veteran players or draft capital. Each side is credited for what its acquired assets actually delivered, and the result is judged on that team-specific production.