FRISCO, Texas – Jonathan Mingo had just woken up and was waiting on food to be delivered to his house Tuesday when he got a call from Carolina Panthers general manager Dan Morgan. Unexpectedly, it was to let him know he'd just been traded to the Dallas Cowboys.
"It kind of blindsided me, because my agent told me he didn't think anything was going to happen, slim chance," Mingo said. "So that slim chance happened. I'm happy to be a Cowboy, fresh start for me, new beginnings, God put me here for a reason."
The Cowboys sent a 2025 fourth-round pick to Carolina in exchange for Mingo and a 2025 seventh-round pick Tuesday morning, minutes after Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said on 105.3 The Fan that Dallas would be acquiring a wide receiver at the deadline. Now, Mingo gets a fresh start in his young career.
"There are things I felt like I could've done better, just trying to be more consistent [in Carolina], trying to prove to them what I can be," Mingo said. "[The Panthers] got me out of there so it is what it is, I'm here now so I can prove to people what I can do and show them the best version of me."
Mingo was the 39th overall pick in the 2023 draft out of Ole Miss and caught 55 passes for 539 yards in his 24 games with the Panthers. He now joins an offense that is without their starting quarterback in Dak Prescott and a team with a 3-5 record through nine weeks but is still encouraged by what Mike McCarthy is able to do as a play caller to set him up for success.
"I like how he moves people around," Mingo said of McCarthy. "They know how to use their receivers, just put them in the best position to win. Dak's pretty cool too, he's hurt but pretty cool guy to talk to… everybody around here seems pretty cool, so I'm excited to be on this team."
Mingo joined the team in practice for the first time on Thursday after he went through the onboarding process Wednesday and is trying to acclimate himself as quickly as possible into the operation.
"Practice was smooth, getting used to everything… trying to get used to the flow." Mingo said.
Mingo is listed at 6'2, 220 pounds on the Cowboys roster, where he's tied with CeeDee Lamb as the tallest in the room and is the heaviest by 15 pounds. At that weight he ran a 4.46 40-yard dash at the combine, fourth fastest out of the wide receivers behind KaVontae Turpin, Brandin Cooks and Ryan Flournoy. He hopes to bring that unique build and speed to the field fast to challenge opposing defenses.
"I try to be a physical receiver, physical and fast, and just try to use my size and strength to my advantage," Mingo said. "Just try and get my flow and once I get in my groove, I can finally show people what I can do."
Jones said on the radio that the Cowboys were fans of the receiver they were trading for during the draft process, and McCarthy echoed that sentiment and emphasized the importance of trusting your board even after the draft has come and gone.
"You got to trust the draft process because you put so much into it, that grade always carries weight when he does go somewhere else and becomes available," McCarthy said. "We definitely liked [Mingo] in the draft process, and he has a lot of the characteristics that you look for… we're excited for the opportunity to have him part of it."
Sunday will not only be the first time Mingo suits up for the Cowboys, but it'll also be the first time he'll suit up against his favorite receiver and fellow Ole Miss Rebel, AJ Brown.
"AJ's my favorite receiver, I watch his highlights all the time," Mingo said. "I try to take stuff from his game all the time and put it to mine… it's going to be fun seeing him play twice a year."
Everything is starting to quiet down and Mingo is settling in, appreciative of the road that got him here and future to come.
"I'm happy to be here," Mingo said. "I appreciate [the Panthers] for taking a chance on me, but God had another direction for me to go."
