Who Should I Start? Adonai Mitchell or Jalen Coker

Wednesday, February 25, 8:49 AM

After being acquired by the New York Jets from the Indianapolis Colts at the 2025 trade deadline, wide receiver Adonai Mitchell saw the best opportunity for consistent playing time of his young career. The 23-year-old recorded 32 receptions for 464 yards and zero touchdowns across the first 25 games of his career with the Colts. Across eight games with the Jets after the trade, Mitchell hauled in 24 catches for 301 yards and two scores. Mitchell played at least 80% of New York's offensive snaps in six of his eight contests, and he averaged over seven targets per game. In 2026, the Jets will welcome back star wideout Garrett Wilson (knee) from the knee injury that ended his 2025 season prematurely. Wilson will be the team's clear number one pass-catcher, but the Jets appear to have plenty of opportunity for secondary pass-game options to emerge. As a former second-round pick who has flashed upside at different points in his first two NFL seasons, Mitchell could have the inside track on the team's WR2 job heading into 2026.

Friday, January 30, 12:43 PM

Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales said that wide receiver Jalen Coker will enter the offseason as the team's No. 2 wideout behind 2025 first-rounder Tetairoa McMillan, according to David Newton of ESPN. Newton also writes that the Panthers' top offseason priority is locking Coker down long term. He's an exclusive-rights free agent, so the team could tender him an offer for the league minimum to ensure that he's around in 2026 at a low cost. The 24-year-old came on strong late in 2025 and had nine catches for 134 yards and one touchdown in the Wild-Card loss to the Los Angeles Rams. If the Panthers truly believe in Coker, they could look to lock him up long-term at a reasonable price. Injuries have limited Coker to 22 regular-season games in his first two years in the NFL, but when on the field, he's been productive, catching 65 passes for 872 yards and five touchdowns on 89 targets. If he can finally stay healthy in Year 3, Coker has true breakout potential.