Jets Reportedly Feel AD Mitchell Is 'A Potential Gem' After Sauce Gardner Trade

Cornerback Sauce Gardner and the first-round draft picks made the most headlines in Tuesday's blockbuster trade between the Indianapolis Colts and New York Jets, but the AFC East team believes they will benefit from the inclusion of wide receiver Adonai Mitchell.

ESPN's Rich Cimini reported Sunday that New York sees Mitchell as a "potential gem" and someone who can thrive with a bigger role than he had in Indianapolis.

The Jets received Mitchell, a 2026 first-round pick and a 2027 first-round pick for Gardner and figure to give the receiver more of a chance to make an impact than the Colts did since he was behind Michael Pittman Jr., Alec Pierce, Josh Downs and Tyler Warren in the aerial attack.

Cimini noted Mitchell had been "buried" on the depth chart ever since he fumbled when he dropped the ball right as he was about to score a touchdown during a Week 4 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.

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But the 1-7 Jets are not in a playoff race like Indianapolis. They are in rebuilding mode and will surely give a 23-year-old receiver with plenty of potential the opportunity to thrive in the offense.

Garrett Wilson is also the only wide receiver on New York with more than 187 receiving yards this season, so Mitchell will likely immediately be the second option for quarterback Justin Fields.

Mitchell was a second-round draft pick just last year. While he has been nothing more than a secondary contributor to this point of his career, his speed and route running stood out before the draft. That was especially true for someone his size.

If he ends up living up to that potential in a new environment, he will provide the Jets with a young building block as they turn their attention toward the future with so many draft picks in store.