UPDATE: A few hours after informing Joe Mixon they are cutting him, the Cincinnati Bengals agreed to trade the running back to the Houston Texans, which means Mixon will receive the full amount of the contract he restructured last season when he agreed to a pay cut.
CINCINNATI — Joe Mixon outran his past and much more during his seven seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals, but the grip of time and loss of explosion finally caught up to him today when the team released the running back, Pro Football Network can confirm, with one year remaining on his contract.
The third leading rusher in team history, Mixon was just 46 yards shy of moving past James Brooks into second place, but he will not get that chance after leading the Bengals in rushing in each of the last seven seasons.
Cincinnati Bengals Cut Running Back Joe Mixon
Mixon was due a roster bonus of $3 million in guaranteed money on March 17, and he would have counted $8.5 million against the 2024 salary cap. The Bengals deemed that price too steep for a back who no longer possesses the type of explosion needed to punish the light boxes defenses employ as they turn their focus to defending Joe Burrow and receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
The emergence of rookie Chase Brown and Mixon’s high price tag made the decision to move on an obvious one despite Mixon topping 1,000 yards for the fourth time in his career in 2023.
Mixon finished with 1,034 yards last season, which ranked eighth in the league. And his nine rushing touchdowns ranked tied for 11th. His 257 carries were the fifth most.
He also caught 52 passes for 376 yards and three touchdowns, helping him earn $350,000 in incentives, which were added to his contract after he agreed to take a pay cut to remain in Cincinnati.
That’s 2️⃣ TDs in the FIRST QUARTER for #Bengals RB Joe Mixon❕#RuleTheJungle | #NFL
pic.twitter.com/9ihRbjlnpY— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) January 7, 2024
He had been due $10.1 million as part of the four-year, $48 million extension he signed in 2020. He had $20.4 million remaining on the deal over two seasons and agreed to a pay cut that would net him $11.5 million instead, with $7.1 million of it guaranteed.
Mixon’s receiving numbers last year were the second-highest of his career behind his 2022 totals of 60 catches for 441 yards. His three receiving touchdowns in 2023 tied his career high.
He finishes his Bengals career with 1,571 carries for 6,412 yards and 49 touchdowns, as well as 283 receptions for 2,139 yards and 13 touchdowns.
The 1,571 rushing attempts are second most in franchise history behind Corey Dillon’s 1,865. And the 49 rushing touchdowns are second to Pete Johnson’s 64.
KEEP READING: Joe Mixon Landing Spots: Could the Former Bengals RB Sign With the Ravens?
Mixon would have had a chance to set the franchise record for total touchdowns in 2024, but instead he finishes ranked sixth with 62 behind Pete Johnson (70), Chad Johnson (66), A.J. Green (65), Carl Pickens (64), and Brooks (64).
Joe Mixon will not be denied!
Mixon’s second effort ties it up. pic.twitter.com/rl4jSzCCZE
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) December 5, 2023
Mixon entered the league embroiled in controversy after video surfaced of him punching a female in the face at a restaurant hours into his 18th birthday in July 2014.
The Oklahoma Sooners suspended Mixon for one season after he agreed to a misdemeanor charge and plea deal that included 100 hours of community service. He returned to the team in 2015 and rushed for 2,027 yards and 17 touchdowns in two seasons, and the Bengals drafted him in the second round in 2017 and prepared for the backlash that would accompany the selection.
“A lot of time, a lot of research,” former Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis said when asked about the team’s vetting of Mixon. “Time spent with Joe. Time researching people around Joe. Joe’s past in East Bay [California]. All those kinds of things that way. His past on campus at Oklahoma since the incident.
“There couldn’t be any other red flags to say, ‘Well, well, maybe’ No, no, no. It had to be clean, and Joe knows that. He knows going forward, it has to stay clean all the time. He’s lived on the tip of the sword for three years now, and he’s got to continue to probably for the rest of his life.”
Mixon stayed out of trouble until last year when he was arrested on a charge of aggravated menacing after being accused of waving a gun at another driver in a road rage incident minutes before the Bengals departed for the airport for their playoff game at Buffalo.
Mixon was found not guilty on Aug. 17, less than two weeks after a Cincinnati family filed a civil lawsuit against him stemming from the shooting of a juvenile near Mixon’s yard. Mixon never was charged, but his sister and her boyfriend, who were staying at Mixon’s home, were arrested and charged.
MORE: How the Zack Moss Signing Will Be a Huge Upgrade for the Cincinnati Bengals
There still should be a market for Mixon, who will turn 28 in July. A reunion with Lewis, who is the assistant head coach for the Las Vegas Raiders, is one possibility.
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