The Indianapolis Colts might have given up on AD Mitchell too quickly. Or possibly the player also known as Adonai simply needed a change of scenery to be at his best. Sometimes that seemingly simple change fixes everything. It might be what quarterback Anthony Richardson needs too.
Mitchell was mercurial during Colts training camp in his first two seasons, but midway through Year 2, he was dealt to the New York Jets as part of the trade that sent cornerback Sauce Gardner to Indy. With New York in the second half of the season, Mitchell performed better than he ever did with Indianapolis.
In training camp this year for the Jets, Mitchell is trending toward being a star. The most painful part is that had he worked out for head coach Shane Steichen's squad, he would have been the exact kind of WR3 (if not WR2) that the team currently needs.
AD Mitchell could be turning into the Jets star he could never be with the Indianapolis Colts
For further proof of Mitchell's rise in Jets camp, just check out this tweet from a beat reporter:
"AD Mitchell toasting corners right now. Great route in 7-on-7 to get open on go ball. Now a double move to get open near the sideline. Geno missed him both times," Connor Hughes of SNY tweeted.
Or this one from Mitchell's position coach with New York:
According to The Athletic's Zack Rosenblatt, Jets wide receiver coach Shawn Jefferson said, "If he continues on this trajectory right here, he will be a really good Robin for our Batman," with Garrett Wilson being Batman in that scenario.
The quotes above aren't anything new either. Throughout offseason workouts and since the start of training camp, AD Mitchell hasn't just looked like a serviceable wide receiver, but someone worthy of being a second-round draft pick. That is what Mitchell was for the Indianapolis Colts in 2024, but he never played well enough to earn that selection with Indy.
What made matters worse is that once Mitchell did have a chance at getting reps last season, he showed his explosiveness in a catch-and-run against the Los Angeles Rams, only to fumble the ball out of the back of the end zone while trying to celebrate too early before he scored.
If one wonders whether Mitchell felt bad about the play, which ultimately led to him being a part of the Sauce Gardner trade, he absolutely did. He recently said in an interview with Ryan Clark that he "got caught up in the emotion" of the play.
The receiver added, "It was very humbling...I had to take that (expletive) on the chin. I couldn't look to the man on my left or my right and be like, 'Man, this is your fault'... I knew it was my fault from the jump."
Maybe that won't make some Colts fans feel better about Adonai Mitchell's time with the team, but at least he knew he had made a mistake once he finally got a chance to show what he could do. Ultimately, that might have driven him to success with the Jets, and it might have with Indy had he not been traded away.
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