The Jets are trading wide receivers Denzel Mims to the Detroit Lions, SNY’s Connor Hughes first reported Wednesday.
The compensation is a pick swap for the Jets and Lions, with New York receiving a conditional sixth-round selection from Detroit in exchange for a seventh-rounder, in the 2025 NFL Draft, according to NFL Network.
Mims, 25, was a standout receiver at Baylor. In four seasons, Mims caught 186 passes for 2925 yards and 28 touchdowns. Those numbers led to the Jets selecting Mims in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft at No. 59 overall.
After a promising rookie season where he caught 23 passes for 357 yards in nine games (eight starts), his targets and production dipped.
Last summer, Mims officially requested to be traded through his agent Ron Slavin.
“It’s just time,” Slavin said in the statement at the time. “Denzel tried in good faith but it’s clear he does not have a future with the Jets. Denzel vowed to come back better than ever this season and worked extremely hard in the offseason to make that happen. Still, he has been given no opportunities with the starting offense to get in a groove with them. We feel at this point a trade is our only option, since the Jets have told us repeatedly they will not release him. Joe Douglas has always done right by Denzel and we trust he will do everything in his power to find another team where Denzel can be a contributor.”
Jets GM Joe Douglas said at the time that he “fielded some calls but ultimately nothing materialized” causing the disgruntled receiver to remain on the roster for the 2022 season.
Over the past two seasons, Mims started just seven games and caught just 19 passes.
Overall, Mims caught 42 passes for 676 yards in 30 games (15 starts) as a Jet. He also has yet to reach the end zone.