Colts' baffling Adonai Mitchell praise should make Jets fans feel even luckier

The New York Jets remain thrilled with their sharp negotiating skills that helped land a possible breakout wide receiver in Adonai Mitchell. To hear the Indianapolis Colts tell ot, giving Mitchell up hurt them to the core.

Offensive coordinator Frank Reich said that "everyone" involved with the Colts, including GM Chris Ballard, would not stop raving about Mitchell after the trade. Reich called Mitchell "super talented" and praised him as someone who wants to "get it right."

On one hand, why would Ballard include Mitchell along with two prime picks in a trade if he thought that highly of him? On the other hand, the Jets can look at this negotiation as them all but forcing the Colts to give up someone they held in high regard. The trade is looking better for the Jets as Mitchell becomes a bigger part of the offense.

New York Jets should feel even better about Adonai Mitchell after Colts praise

Mitchell is poised to likely come in second on the team in targets behind Garrett Wilson in 2026. Omar Cooper Jr. is still finding his footing at the NFL level; Mason Taylor and Kenyon Sadiq could eat into each other's target share as part of a new-look tight end room, and Breece Hall may not be as big of a checkdown option as he was in past seasons.

Talent has never been the issue for Mitchell, nor has it been his attitude as a professional. Rather, Mitchell has struggled with consistency and the finer points of putting it all together at the NFL level. Getting buried on the Colts' depth chart behind other young players certainly didn't help someone who needed as many reps as possible.

When he threw what would have been his first NFL touchdown away by dropping the ball at the one-yard line, Mitchell all but sealed his fate in Indianapolis. It may seem that Indy parted with him if the organization seemingly has nothing but good things to say about him, but the Jets won't question that lack of logic.

Adonai Mitchell has found a home with the New York Jets

The Colts, meanwhile, were competing for the AFC's best record when the trade was made, but one of the first-round picks they surrendered fell far enough for the Jets to take Sadiq. They have one of the best cornerbacks in the league in Gardner, but no first-round pick in a division that features two playoff teams from last season in Jacksonville and Houston.

Even if the Colts love Gardner so much they would not want a redo on this trade, they assuredly have some buyer's remorse about so flippantly throwing Mitchell into the deal, especially with injuries degrading the room to the point where they will lean on what is left of Keenan Allen in their pass-catcher stable.

For the first time in what feels like forever, the Jets actually need to worry about distributing targets among a collection of qualified players, and Mitchell flexing the same skills that made him a star at Texas makes him a huge part of New York's passing attack for the 2026 season.

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