The Houston Texans traded for running back Joe Mixon, who had one year left on a deal he signed with the Cincinnati Bengals. After finalizing the trade, the Texans gave Mixon a three-year extension.
Mixon Under Contract With Texans For Two More Seasons Through 2027
Houston extended Mixon for three years on a deal that could be worth up to $27 million. The new contract helped soften the blow of having been traded.
“I gotta say it was definitely shocking,” Mixon told Adam Schefter of ESPN. “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.”
The extension will keep Mixon in Houston through 2027, when he will become a free agent at the end of the season. The deal’s base salary is worth up to $25.5 million. At the time of signing the extension, Mixon was the seventh-highest in the league, according to Spotrac.
Mixon’s extension guarantees $13 million. It includes a $6 million signing bonus. The first two years of the deal are also fully guaranteed.
He made $3 million in 2024 and will make $7 million in 2025. The deal includes $500,000 in activation bonuses ($29,411 per game) and up to an additional $500,000 in rushing yards incentives. If he rushes for 1,100 yards, he makes $250,000. If he hits 1,300, he will get an additional $250,000. The incentives are cumulative.
In seven seasons with the Bengals, Mixon finished with the third-most rushing yards and second-most rushing touchdowns in team history. His original contract, signed in 2020, was a four-year, $48 million pact.
Houston’s had one of the least efficient rushing attacks in the NFL in 2023. They were in the bottom five in yards per carry. Mixon brought his resume to Houston, which included the fact he rushed for over 1,000 yards in four of his past seven seasons with the Bengals.
While running backs typically do not receive big contracts at this point in their careers, the Texans trusted Mixon to remain healthy and productive.
Mixon has the option to terminate the contract after the 2025 season. He would count for $2 million in dead money against the Texans cap for 2026.
As of the start of the 2024 season, he had earned an estimated $38,441,207 throughout his NFL career.
Mixon has an assortment of endorsement deals. He endorses brands such as Madden NFL, Kroger and Head and Shoulders. The endorsement deals are tied to a player’s performance. If Mixon continues to captivate spectators with his performance, there is a high possibility that more brands will approach him seeking his endorsements in the coming seasons.