Denzel Mims requests a trade from Jets

Denzel Mims wants to move on from the Jets.

The third-year wide receiver has requested a trade, through his agent Ron Slavin. 

“It’s just time,” Slavin said in a statement. “Denzel has tried in good faith but it is clear he does not have a future with the Jets. Denzel vowed to come back better than ever this season and he worked extremely hard in the offseason to make that happen. Still, he has been given no opportunities with the starting offense to get into a groove with them. 

“We feel at this point a trade is our only option, since the Jets have repeatedly told us they will not release him.”

The expectation was the Jets would try to trade Mims before they have to cut the rosters down to 53 players by Tuesday and try to get something for their 2020 second-round pick. Mims hasn’t carved out a role for himself in offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur’s offense and remains low on the receiver depth chart. 

Slavin has met with Jets general manager Joe Douglas during training camp and Mims has talked to coach Robert Saleh about his role.

Mims’ future with the team had been on shaky ground since last season when a bout of food poisoning cost him most of the OTAs. He has been healthy throughout this camp and said his goal was to be one of the Jets’ starting receivers. But his usage hasn’t changed much. 

In the Jets’ first preseason game, Mims was the seventh receiver to enter the game. On Monday, Robert Saleh sat most of the starters, including receivers Corey Davis, Elijah Moore and Braxton Berrios. Mims was the fourth receiver to play against the Falcons. 

Mims caught three passes for 43 yards and also played on special teams. Mims was penalized for an illegal block on a punt return. The Jets were trying to see if there were ways Mims could add value to the team because it appeared he wasn’t going to be used much as a receiver. 

“Joe Douglas has always done right by Denzel,” Slavin’s statement continues, “and we trust that he will do everything in his power to find another team where Denzel can be a contributor.”

Douglas is a shrewd negotiator so it will be interesting to see what he can get for the 24-year-old Mims if he does decide to trade him.  

When Douglas drafted Mims in 2020, the Jets were under a different coaching staff and ran a totally different system. Mims caught 37 passes for 257 yards in nine games as a rookie while playing for Adam Gase.

Since Saleh became the coach in 2021 and brought LaFleur with him from San Francisco to run the offense, the Jets have signed Davis, drafted Moore in the second round last year and Garrett Wilson in the first round this year. They also re-signed Braxton Berrios.

Mims has been behind all of them as well as Jeff Smith, who is a valuable special teams player. 

Last season, Mims played a total of 279 snaps despite the receiver group being decimated by injuries. His season was filled with penalties, drops and plenty of watching. Mims missed three games with COVID, was inactive twice and didn’t play in another game. He caught just eight passes for 133 yards.