Former New York Jets wide receiver Denzel Mims Danielle Parhizkaran/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

New Lions WR hints he wasn’t given a fair shake with the Jets

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated 7/24/23

A second-round pick of the New York Jets in 2020, Denzel Mims never quite lived up to the billing during his tenure with the team.

But after being traded to the Detroit Lions along with a 2025 seventh-round pick in exchange for a conditional 2025 sixth-round pick (which the Jets only get if Mims makes Detroit’s 53-man roster), the 25-year-old receiver believes a fresh start is just what his career needs after being repressed for three seasons in New York.

“I left them in the past,” Mims told reporters. “I’m grateful for the opportunity they gave me, but I would just rather not talk about or discuss the Jets anymore. … I did everything I could there, but I’m a Detroit Lion now and I’m just blessed to be here to show what I can do. They’ve got faith in me, they believe in me. So, they give me a lot more confidence.”

This Denzel Mims video has me ready to run through a wall

- The #Lions are about to turn this man into Denzel HIMS. #OnePride pic.twitter.com/BNFNCgWRsz
— Lukas Klotz (@1ukasklotz) July 24, 2023

Drafted to be a complement to Jamison Crowder, Mims totaled just 42 receptions for 676 yards in 30 games with the Jets. He never started more than eight games or had more than 44 targets in any season.

He finished fifth on the team in receiving during his rookie year but saw just 45 targets and 19 receptions over his next two seasons combined.

In Detroit, Mims now gets a shot to revive his career as part of the 10th-ranked passing offense in the NFL. The Lions threw the ball 588 times last season and ranked seventh in receiving yards (4,444), eighth in receiving touchdowns (29) and 10th in receptions (383).

Mims joins a receiver group that features Amon-Ra St. Brown, Marvin Jones Jr., Kalif Raymond and Josh Reynolds and needs more depth while Jameson Williams serves a six-game suspension for gambling.

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