Malcolm Mitchell introduced his retirement Saturday, and that basically stinks.
A fourth-round decide of the New England Patriots in 2016, Mitchell as soon as look destined to be a fixture of the group’s offense and a favourite of quarterback Tom Brady. The University of Georgia product hauled in 32 catches for 401 yards and 4 touchdowns in his rookie season, and capped off the promising marketing campaign with six catches for 70 yards in New England’s Super Bowl LI win over the Atlanta Falcons.
But a knee damage value Mitchell his complete sophomore season, and the nagging ailment led to the once-promising receiver being reduce weeks earlier than the beginning of the 2018 season. During an look at his alma mater Saturday, Mitchell introduced he was retiring from the NFL at age 26.
Again, that basically stinks.
In case you forgot simply how key Mitchell was within the Patriots’ inconceivable comeback win over the Falcons, right here’s a reminder:
Mitchell wasn’t a participant who blew you away with blazing velocity, ridiculous vertical or other-worldly talent. He was strong, sensible and — for a time — dependable. To put it one other method: He was the perfect Patriots receiver.
Most importantly, he was (and, after all, continues to be) an excellent man. Mitchell wrote a youngsters’s e book, “The Magician’s Hat,” whereas in school, and leads the Read With Malcolm literacy initiative and Share The Magic Foundation. All indications are he’ll proceed these endeavors throughout his post-football life.
Ultimately, Mitchell’s Patriots profession might be checked out as a “what could have been,” quite than for what it was. And that’s high-quality, because it’s arduous to view his transient New England tenure as something apart from unlucky.
Still, let’s not overlook that had it not been for Mitchell, the Patriots won’t have pulled off probably the most gorgeous win in Super Bowl historical past. There are actually worse issues to be remembered for.
Thumbnail photograph by way of Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports Images