It happened Monday night, hidden inside a pretty brutal 31-10 loss for the Denver Broncos against the Kansas City Chiefs: Marvin Mims, their dynamic wide receiver, just rewrote the NFL record books. Mims didn’t need some insane, long-distance return to do it, either. All it took was two punt returns for 36 yards during that game, and suddenly, history was made.
Crushing the Old Record
To qualify for the NFL’s career yards-per-punt-return average, a player needs 75 punt returns. Mims hit that magic number, now with 76 returns to his name. And with those latest 36 yards, his career average soared past 15.8 yards. That’s not just good, that’s *record-breaking*. He officially eclipsed New England Patriots cornerback Marcus Jones, who previously held the record with a career average of 14.3 yards-per-punt-return. Think about that for a second: Mims blew past the old record by more than a yard and a half! It’s an incredible mark for a player in just over three seasons.
More Than Just Returns
While his return game is what put him in the history books, don’t sleep on Mims’ overall impact. This guy’s a true “Swiss Army Knife.” He’s totaled 1,208 yards and one touchdown on those 76 punt returns, plus another 1,249 yards and a score on 47 career kickoff returns. But wait, there’s more. He’s also racked up 1,202 receiving yards and 150 rushing yards. You add all that up, and Mims has a staggering 3,809 all-purpose yards in his career. The Broncos scooped him up in the second round of the 2023 NFL draft out of Oklahoma, and while he hasn’t consistently been a full-time offensive player, he’s been an absolute force as a specialist. He’s got two Pro Bowl nods and All-Pro honors from 2023 and 2024 to prove it.
What’s Next for Mims
This is a contract year for Marvin Mims, which just adds another layer to this record-breaking start to the season. You know he’s looking to keep being a game-changer in the return game. But he’s also gunning to break into the offensive game plan more consistently as the Broncos get deeper into their 2026 schedule. With the kind of explosive talent he’s shown, don’t be surprised if this historical specialist starts turning more heads with the ball in his hands on offense, too. This dude is electric, and he’s only just getting started.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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