Jets' Denzel Mims Ruled Out vs. Seahawks Due to Family Emergency

The rookie wide receiver is managing a "personal issue" according to Jets head coach Adam Gase and even if he's healthy, he won't be able to play on Sunday

When the Jets travel to Seattle this weekend, still in pursuit of their first win in 2020, they will be without their standout rookie wide receiver Denzel Mims.

Mims is currently managing a "personal issue" and after traveling home to Texas, the rookie wideout won't be eligible to play on Sunday due to COVID-19 protocols, Jets head coach Adam Gase revealed on Thursday.

The 23-year-old may be physically ready and able to play this weekend, but since he has yet to return to East Rutherford, he won't be tested a sufficient amount of times before Sunday's game.

"Obviously he's been trending in the right direction, he's been a big reason why we've had some better games since he's been playing," Gase said in a Zoom call on Thursday. "Protocols are what they are and he had to handle family business which we support because we felt like that was the right thing for him to do."

Since he made his professional debut in Week 7, Mims been one of the best young wideouts in the league and a spark for this Jets offense. Through six games, Mims has 19 catches and 324 total receiving yards. The Baylor product and second-rounder from this year's draft has been targeted 36 times thus far.

This will be the first week Mims has been sidelined since he made his debut. All eyes are now on quarterback Sam Darnold and New York's remaining starting receivers (Jamison Crowder and Breshad Perriman) against the Seahawks' defense. Seattle has allowed the second-most yards per game through 12 games this season (407.4).

Mims has had 40-plus receiving yards in each of his first six career games. He's just the seventh player since the NFL merger in 1970 to start his career with six straight games of 40 receiving yards or more. 

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Max Goodman
MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Jets for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. He also covers the New York Yankees, publisher  of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Yankees site, Inside The Pinstripes. Before starting out with SI, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. While at school, Goodman gathered valuable experience as an anchor and reporter on NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. Goodman previously interned at MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman and connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.