Joe Mixon‘s time with the Bengals is indeed over, but he will not reach free agency. Rather than releasing the veteran back, Cincinnati is instead trading him to the Texans, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Monday night’s Bengals release indication now doubles as a last-call warning for teams, and the Texans will take a chance via trade. Houston lost its primary 2023 starter — Devin Singletary — after the 5-foot-7 back rejoined Brian Daboll in New York. Mixon will have an opportunity to play in Bobby Slowik‘s offense, joining 2022 fourth-round pick Dameon Pierce.
It will cost the Texans only a seventh-round pick to obtain Mixon, Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz tweets. Considering the Bengals were prepared to cut him, this return is not especially surprising.
This puts the Texans in position to pay the seven-year Bengals starter his $3MM roster bonus, which is due Saturday. The Bengals were rumored to be cutting bait after one season of Mixon’s reworked deal. The sides reached a resolution to keep Mixon in Cincinnati last summer, with his four-year, $48MM 2020 extension morphing into a two-year, $11.5MM pact. Although Mixon scored 12 touchdowns and finished with his fourth 1,000-yard season, he has now surpassed 1,500 career carries. The Bengals added a younger option — Zack Moss — to work with Chase Brown.
It is interesting to see the Texans pass on a player who produced in their system (Singletary) for an older option with considerably more tread on his tires. While Mixon will not turn 28 until later this year, he has amassed 1,571 career carries. That surpasses any back who changed teams during Monday’s historic player-movement day at the position.
In better cap shape compared to the Bengals, the Texans will owe Mixon only a $2.2MM base salary next season. The third-leading rusher in Bengals history, Mixon has four seasons with at least 1,400 scrimmage yards. The Bengals needed Mixon last season after letting Samaje Perine walk in free agency. But Brown and Moss are now in place to split up the workload — at a reduced rate — for a team whose roster now includes Joe Burrow‘s record-setting extension. The Texans, with C.J. Stroud, on a rookie deal will add Mixon as a rental of sorts.
Amazing
Solid pick up
Good move by the Texans assuming the draft compensation is minimal.
This is the zest I needed for my day
No interest in Mixon as a free agent.
Less interest if I have to trade for him.
He isn’t better than Singletary at this stage.
This year is bonkers compared to last years franchise stance on RB value.
Yeah, and it looks like Jerry didn’t get the memo
I called it lmao
Wouldn’t it be less tread on the tires?
Hearing it’s for a 1st and 2nd
To last pick in the draft
Bill OBrien doesn’t run the Texans anymore.
Thank God
Now go sign Derrick Henry and have an aging 1-2 pop.
Except Henry just signed with Baltimore.
I get why Texans did this.
Mixon has only 1 year left on his contract
Singletary just signed a 3 year deal.
Shorter commitment which they can draft someone this year or next
Good move if only because Pierce could very well rebound and split the work with Mixon. Joe isn’t what he used to be but he was sometimes criminally underused or misused in Cincy.
Joe only fumbles once every 220 carries on average. That kind of ball security is worth quite a bit in a league where turnovers often decide game outcomes.
Haha; pun intended? Criminally underused!! Lucky he’s in the league, considering the Ray Rice debacle. You’d think after the Watson experience, Houston would shy away from abusers, but some never learn.
Few remember the girl bashing event from college days. Hopefully he has seen the light. It wasn’t his gf but still….. it’s a bad look to crush a woman’s face even if she pushed and slapped him. Darn good running back. Any issues as a pro?
what did they give up. Hopefully a very low round pick. But probably not too low. Mixon would have wanted more money as a FA so there is some value in trading for him instead of waiting and trying to sign him. I am thinking a 5th rounder