Report: Detroit Lions trading for former 2nd-round WR Denzel Mims

According to a report from New York reporter Connor Hughes, the Detroit Lions are trading for Jets receiver Denzel Mims. (Note: Josina Anderson broke that trade talks were ongoing) Earlier in the day, there were reports that the Jets were prepared to cut Mims, but it appears the Lions opted not to take their chances on waivers and acquired Mims directly. As of Wednesday night, the details of the trade were not public.

UPDATE: The two teams will reportedly swap 2025 draft picks as part of the trade. The Jets get a conditional sixth-round pick while the Lions will get a seventh-round pick.

Mims was drafted in the second round just three years ago, but his career with the Jets never took off. His career got off to a tough start after beginning his rookie season on IR with an ankle injury. He eventually made his debut in Week 7 and finished his first season with 23 catches for 357 yards. That would end up being his best year as a Jet.

In Detroit, Mims has the opportunity to make an instant impact. At 6-foot-3 with legit 4.38 speed and a RAS score of 9.77, he provides something Detroit is lacking: a size/speed combo. And with Jameson Williams serving a six-game suspension to start the year, if Mims impresses in Lions camp, he could find the field immediately. Granted, the production at the NFL level hasn’t arrived, but Mims wasn’t exactly helped out by poor quarterback play in New York.

Mims will round out a receiver room that includes Amon-Ra St. Brown, Josh Reynolds, Kalif Raymond, Marvin Jones Jr., and rookie Antoine Green. The Lions may have room for all six of those receivers but it’s possible they only keep five.

Here’s what our friends at Gang Green Nation said about Mims’ impending departure from the team:

“After the hiring of Robert Saleh, things went downhill quickly for Mims. He never meshed with the new coaching staff and lost his starting spot almost immediately. Mims showed himself capable of making the occasional splash play, but he never developed much as a route runner. He also had constant issues with concentration lapses.”