Getty Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers #12 looks on after throwing an interception during the second quarter of the game at U.S. Bank Stadium on September 11, 2022 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
The Green Bay Packers are wearing a confident public face with regard to their situation at wide receiver, but after an abysmal opening week, it’s reasonable to wonder how much of that is real and how much is a facade.
Aside from the opening play from scrimmage, on which rookie wideout Christian Watson dropped what was sure to be a 75-yard touchdown, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers struggled mightily to find anywhere to go with the football.
The absence of both starting offensive tackles and the resulting pressure from the Minnesota Vikings‘ pass rush unquestionably played a role in that, but the inexperience of Green Bay’s wideouts shone through in the form of drops, route mistakes and general befuddlement.
The answer to the problem may simply be time, though time is a luxury the Packers will soon run out of should the losing continue. As such, the better answer may be a trade for another pass catcher, and Green Bay can procure one for a reasonable price in the form of New York Jets receiver Denzel Mims.
Packers Can Likely Secure Jets’ WR Mims For Late-Round Draft Pick
GettyWR Denzel Mims of the New York Jets runs after the catch during a game against the Atlanta Falcons at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on October 10, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
Mims, a former second-round pick of the Jets in 2020 out of Baylor University, has publicly asked out of New York. In response, the team rendered him inactive in Week 1 and is likely to continue sidelining the receiver as a healthy scratch for as long as he remains on the roster.
The Jets were looking to trade Mims for the asking price of a fourth-round pick at the end of August, per Connor Hughes of SNY, but were unable to get any of the several interested teams to agree to that price. New York his since been clearly in a holding pattern, waiting for the appropriate demand for Mims to develop.
Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report wrote on Wednesday, September 14, that Mims’ clear availability makes him a player likely to move soon.
The Packers would be a logical suitor given their receiving struggles in Week 1,” Knox wrote. “Could Mims be a more reliable target for Aaron Rodgers? It’s worth a late-round draft pick to find out.”
Mims Possesses Elite Athletic Potential the Packers Could Utilize
GettyWR Romeo Doubs of the Green Bay Packers catches a touchdown pass against the San Francisco 49ers during an NFL preseason game at Levi’s Stadium on August 12, 2022 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
Mims has struggled since entering the NFL two years ago, amassing just 490 yards on 31 catches over that span, per Pro Football Reference. He has yet to find the end zone as a professional.
Despite those statistics, however, Mims has high upside due to his athletic potential. The receiver stands at six-feet, three-inches tall and weighs 207 pounds. He also ran a 4.38 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, matching elite speed with his natural gifts of size and strength.
Rodgers has been calm in media sessions this week, filing the poor performances of his young receivers under inexperience, particularly in the absence of No. 1 wideout Allen Lazard who has a reasonable chance of returning this weekend against the Chicago Bears.
But often in the same breath, the quarterback has been clear that his patience won’t persist forever. That inevitable truth will arrive faster in Green Bay the more the Packers lose during the front end of the season.
“Look, we’ve got to have patience with those guys. They’re young. They haven’t been in the fire,” Rodgers said. “Now, that patience will be thinner as the season goes on, but the expectation will be high.”
Considering the situation at wide receiver in Green Bay, it may well be worth it to the organization to take a flier on Mims whose career could be quickly revitalized after a pairing with Rodgers, the two-time reigning NFL MVP.