Jets Are ‘Really High’ on WR Adonai Mitchell, Says Insider

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New York Jets wide receiver Adonai Mitchell getting ready for an NFL game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The New York Jets are betting on an initial investment.

ESPN’s Rich Cimini revealed on the new “Jets Collective” podcast that the team is “really high” on wide receiver Adonai Mitchell ahead of the 2026 season.

“They are really high on AD Mitchell. That is one of the things I came away with [from the Annual League Meetings]. [Aaron] Glenn is really eager to see what he can do with a full offseason in the program and hitting the ground [running] from day one. The guy has vertical speed, we know that, he is like a 4.3 guy. He is a really good kid. You know, he came out of the draft, he had that incident, he didn’t interview well, but I think it was just a blip on the screen. He is a really good kid, he is a hard worker, and so they’re really banking a lot on him,” Cimini explained on the pod.

Mitchell, 23, will turn 24 during the 2026 season. He entered the league as the No. 52 overall pick in the second round of the 2024 NFL draft. Mitchell won a pair of National Championships during his first two years at Georgia before transferring over to Texas for his final season.

Mitchell Just Scratched the Surface

On November 4, Mitchell was traded from the Indianapolis Colts to the Jets in the blockbuster trade for Sauce Gardner.

Mitchell ended up appearing in 16 games last season, but only eight of those were with the Jets. During his brief tenure in New York, he was targeted 58 times, caught 24 passes for 301 receiving yards, and scored two touchdowns.

AD was thrown randomly into the mix during the middle of the season. Garrett Wilson missed 10 games last year, so he didn’t get to play with Mitchell. With a full offseason program, starting reps, and building chemistry in this offense — we should see the best Mitchell version yet at the NFL level.

Insider Update on the WR Situation

Mitchell is a fun upside swing. Maybe he can live up to the billing of his original draft status, but that can’t be the Jets’ only plan.

Both head coach Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey went out of their way to explain why the WR position isn’t that big of a need.

“I feel good about the wide receiver room. Obviously, getting Garrett back and healthy will be big for us and seeing AD Mitchell, Isaiah [Williams], and Arian [Smith] — having those guys take the next step and continue to grow, but like all positions, we will continue to evaluate the market and see if there’s an opportunity to add competition and depth,” Mougey explained at the Annual League Meetings.

“Yeah, I think there is a level of posturing that is going on there. They will absolutely draft a wide receiver with one of those first four picks — maybe even two, who knows. They have to bring in a veteran. Arian Smith, I don’t even consider him a veteran because he barely played last year. He is a really good gunner on special teams, but you need guys who can catch passes,” Cimini responded on “Jets Collective.”

There is still plenty of time to add more bodies to the room.

“I think a trade has to be a possibility on draft weekend. Some names have been out there. We talked about Brian Thomas. You’ve got Dontayvion Wicks from Green Bay. I think he could be available. I do think they will make a lower-level wide receiver trade. It’s not going to be A.J. Brown or anything like that, but I think he is definitely looking to add in that room,” Cimini added.

Paul Esden Jr. covers the New York Jets for Heavy.com. A New York native, he co-hosts a morning show, “The Manchild Show with Boy Green Digital.” Before joining Heavy in 2021, Esden Jr. covered both national and New York sports for FanSided, Elite Sports NY, and The Score 1260. More about Paul Esden Jr.