The Houston Texans and Los Angeles Chargers are facing off on Saturday in arguably the tightest matchup of Wild Card Weekend.
Both organizations made major changes last offseason. The Chargers hired former Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh, while the Texans added stars across the board in running back Joe Mixon, edge rusher Danielle Hunter, and wide receiver Stefon Diggs.
Fans shouldn’t let Hunter’s dominance alongside former No. 3 pick in the NFL Draft, Will Anderson Jr., distract them from the impressive campaign Mixon is having during his first year in Houston.
But if Mixon is thriving so much in Texas, it begs the question of why the Cincinnati Bengals allowed Houston to land him in the first place.
How Did the Houston Texans Get Joe Mixon?
The Bengals selected Mixon in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft, and he spent his first seven seasons in Cincinnati. The front office placed a lot of confidence in the running back by giving him a lucrative four-year, $48 million deal in 2020.
Mixon did not play under this generous agreement for long. In the summer of 2023, he restructured the contract to ensure his spot on the roster and further extend the Bengals’ Super Bowl window.
Still, Cincinnati did not feel his pay matched his level of play. Not to mention, there were much bigger financial obstacles on the horizon with wide receivers Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase both seeking new deals.
The Bengals initially planned to move on from Mixon via release, but there are, of course, no assets gained in that situation. So the alternative was trading him for whatever assets they could find.
Houston was fresh off a year in which it fell short to the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Divisional Round. In the season-ending matchup, the Texans’ leading rusher was Devin Singletary, who finished with nine carries for 22 yards.
This made obvious the need for a new backfield partner for sophomore quarterback C.J. Stroud. The Texans only had to give up a future seventh-round pick for Mixon.
The trade initially caught Mixon off guard.
“I gotta say it was definitely shocking,” Mixon told reporters earlier this year. “I took that 24 to 48 hours to hurt. It took a while and I’m still having emotional feelings about it. … But that’s the place where I can forever feel like that’s home for me.”
After the trade, the Texans front office boldly inked Mixon to a three-year contract worth up to $25.5 million, including $16 million guaranteed.
This season, Mixon provided the Texans with exactly what they needed, as the second-time Pro Bowler finished the year with 1,016 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns while also adding 36 receptions for 309 receiving yards.
The Texans will need Mixon to continue producing at a high level in order for their banged-up offense to have any success against Harbaugh and the Chargers.