Mitchell was selected by the Miami Dolphins in the fourth round (93rd overall) of the 1990 NFL Draft. After serving three years as Dan Marino's back-up, Mitchell became the Dolphins' starting quarterback in 1993 when Marino was injured. Mitchell was signed as a free agent by the Detroit Lions in 1994.
Mitchell led a Detroit offense that included running backBarry Sanders and receiversHerman Moore and Brett Perriman. However, in 1994—his first season as a starter for the Lions—Mitchell struggled. In a loss to the Green Bay Packers, Mitchell went down with an injury,[2] and was replaced by backup quarterback Dave Krieg, who led the team to the 1994 playoffs. Offensive tackle Lomas Brown, on ESPN program "First Take" later admitted to purposefully missing a block that resulted in this injury, as he was upset over Mitchell's poor play.[3] However, a review of game film and play-by-play logs of the game by football historian Andy Barall fails to corroborate Brown's recollection of what occurred.[4] Mitchell regained his starting position the following year.
In 1995, he set single-season records for the Lions in touchdownpasses (32) and passing yards (4,338). Mitchell's Lions made the NFL playoffs in 1995 and 1997. Mitchell stayed with the Lions through the 1998 season, when he lost the starting quarterback job to rookie Charlie Batch. He would complete his career with stints with the Baltimore Ravens and the Cincinnati Bengals.
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