Top Broncos of 2026 | No. 14: Marvin Mims Jr.

Marvin Mims Jr. is known as one of the NFL's most dangerous and decorated returners, but he brings a lot more to the table.

When the Denver Broncos have called on Mims as a receiver, he has always answered the bell. So much so that we're left scratching our heads as to why the Broncos haven't utilized him more as a pass-catcher.

Some of those questions will be brought to bear on Mims's pending free agency. He's entering the final year on his rookie contract, so how do the Broncos pay him from a value perspective? In other words, does Mims get receiver money or returner money?

These are questions the Broncos will soon have to answer, but much will depend on what Mims is asking for. We'll talk more about that shortly.

As we march through the NFL summer, we're continuing to count down the top 25 Broncos of 2026. Mims checks in at No. 14, so let's break down what makes him one of the team's most important players.

Background

Mims was the very first draft pick of the Sean Payton era. The Broncos traded up from No. 68 to select the Oklahoma star at No. 63 overall.

Mims distinguished himself as a rookie out of the gates. He notched the first 100-yard receiving game of his career in Week 2 against the Washington Commanders.

Mims immediately earned the primary returner responsibilities, and he made his presence felt there, too. He was a bona fide weapon.

As a receiver, after Week 3 of the 2023 season, Mims's involvement in the offense was nearly non-existent. It was as if he'd landed in the doghouse somehow, but if so, Payton never spoke about it publicly.

Mims still shined as a returner, though, earning Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro honors as a rookie. Despite the questions about his offensive role, it was a more than encouraging rookie campaign.

The hope was that Mims would get more bites at the receiving apple in Year 2, but he started out the 2024 season as the fourth guy on the depth chart. He was lucky if he could garner enough snaps to get a single target, let alone make an impact.

Meanwhile, the Broncos approached Mims ahead of their Week 10 road trip to take on the Kansas City Chiefs about taking some running back snaps. He obliged, and while he was never used as a heavy ball carrier, his presence in the backfield confounded opponents, keeping them on their heels.

Down the 2024 stretch, though, something changed. Mims suddenly became way more active in the offensive lineup, shining in some big-game situations.

Mims posted the second 100-yard receiving game of his career on Monday Night Football against the Cleveland Browns, with another one coming in Week 17 at Cincinnati. He came up big in that overtime loss to the Bengals, though, catching all eight of his targets for 103 yards and two touchdowns, one of which came in clutch time.

With time running out and trailing by a touchdown, Bo Nix rolled right and uncorked a deep pass to the end zone. Mims went up over two Bengals defenders and came down with the ball, tapping both feet in bounds, for an eye-popping touchdown.

TOUCHDOWN MARVIN MIMS JR. WOW.

📺: #DENvsCIN on NFL Network
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/oC9GXAwXdJ
— NFL (@NFL) December 29, 2024

If Payton had opted to go for the two-point conversion instead of the extra point to tie the game, the Broncos probably would have beaten the Bengals. But Payton instead opted to play for overtime, where Joe Burrow was able to come out on top. Mims was the reason that game even went to overtime, though.

He finished year two with back-to-back double-touchdown games as a receiver, which created even more optimism that he'd turned a corner and would be more involved in Year 3. He earned another Pro Bowl nod as a returner and was named a second-team All-Pro, becoming the only player in Broncos history besides Von Miller to achieve Pro Bowl and All-Pro accolades in each of his first two seasons.

When 2025 rolled around, it was more of the same head-scratching usage on offense. Mims was a more consistent role player on offense in Year 3, but he often found himself as the fourth guy in the rotation behind Courtland Sutton, Troy Franklin, and the rookie, Pat Bryant.

Still, whenever the ball went his way, Mims made things happen. Despite this, he still finished with career-low receiving numbers, totaling just 37 catches for 322 yards and one touchdown. But his 2025 season was far from over.

In the playoffs, the Broncos' receiving corps was decimated by injuries, which pushed Mims up the depth chart. He answered the bell, catching 8-of-8 targets for 93 yards and another clutch-time touchdown in Denver's 33-30 overtime win over the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round.

After Nix's season-ending injury, Mims still found ways to impact the AFC championship, catching four passes for 62 yards. He would finish as the Broncos' receiving leader in the playoffs, not Sutton.

STIDHAM GOING DEEP TO MARVIN MIMS JR. 🎯

NEvsDEN on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/l56nwnx6bn
— NFL (@NFL) January 25, 2026

For the first time in Mims's NFL career, he did not garner Pro Bowl or All-Pro honors as a returner, despite his turning in another sensational campaign in the third phase.

Outlook

Denver Broncos wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr. (19) runs after the catch against the Las Vegas Raiders during the second half at Allegiant Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

When the 2026 offseason rolled around, the Broncos made the blockbuster trade to acquire Jaylen Waddle, a move that pushed all the receivers down the depth chart. Waddle is a far more accomplished receiver in the NFL, but he and Mims are similar players. Both are fast, explosive, and dynamic with the ball in their hands.

But the Waddle trade left Mims to question even further his place with the Broncos. It also cast a pall over Mims's pending contract year.

Entering 2026, it's a safe bet to assume that Waddle, Sutton, and Franklin will be the top three receivers. Mims could be as far down the depth chart as No. 5.

If you're the Broncos, how do you pay a guy like that? Again, we come down to the awkward position of figuring out how to play a reliable depth receiver who has only scratched the surface of his potential, but who also happens to be a decorated returner.

Some projections have Mims commanding $10 million per year as his floor, with the possibility of $13 million annually. Rashid Shaheed is the closest NFL comparison, and he's making $17 million per year with the Seattle Seahawks, though he had more of a receiving resume when he got paid as a two-time Pro Bowl returner.

It's doubtful the Broncos would be willing to pay top dollar for Mims. But if he's willing to come to the table with a team-friendly perspective, I could see the Broncos signing him to something like a three-year deal worth $33 million, with half of it guaranteed.

If Mims is looking to earn like Shaheed, he'll probably have to bet on himself in 2026 and look to do so with another team. Mims recently fired his agent and hired Athletes First, so it'll be interesting to see what type of posture his new reps take with the Broncos on the negotiation front.

The Takeaway

Mims has always been a team player. He's been ready and willing to contribute on offense in any way the coaches ask, and when his number has been called as a receiver, he has stepped up.

Mims's return capabilities have directly led to victories, helping the Broncos to flip field position and put points on the board. The symbolism of him being a twice-decorated returner as the first draft pick of the Payton era is important; not re-signing him could send a convoluted message to the locker room.

I'm not sure what his role will be on offense this year with Waddle in the fold, but for the reasons outlined above, I'm optimistic the Broncos are going to extend him. That could come as soon as August, right after the Broncos kick off training camp, as GM George Paton has been known to do with player extensions.

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