Bengals' decision on Joe Mixon should be impacted by expected free agent class of running backs
The Cincinnati Bengals had three options last year with running back Joe Mixon: do nothing, cut his pay, or cut him altogether. They landed on the middle option, but that's not on the table this year. Cincinnati will either hold on to Mixon and his $8.5 million cap hit for one final season, or they […]
The Cincinnati Bengals had three options last year with running back Joe Mixon: do nothing, cut his pay, or cut him altogether.
They landed on the middle option, but that's not on the table this year.
Cincinnati will either hold on to Mixon and his $8.5 million cap hit for one final season, or they will cut him loose prior to his $3 million roster bonus is set to kick in on March 18.
A quick glance around the league should signal which way they'll lean.
A to Z Sports' top 105 free agent rankings features 10 running backs set to earn notable contracts in the coming month. Five of those 10 will reportedly not receive the franchise tag from their respective teams, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Josh Jacobs, Saquon Barkley, and Derrick Henry among other ballcarriers all potentially hitting the open market at the same time would surely lead to an inevitability: market saturation.
An influx of options for teams looking to sign a running back is going to make it tough for any of said running backs to maximize their potential earnings, outside of a couple surprises. The fact that they're running backs to begin with will make it hard for them to break the bank.
The Bengals may not be interested in any of the top options, but they'll still be impacted nonetheless.
Should other clubs take advantage of a saturated running back market, there's a chance that those contracts end up more favorable relative to what Mixon will be costing the Bengals in terms of cap space this year.
Mixon, by no fault of his own, would watch his value depreciate before his very eyes.
For this reason alone, the Bengals have to consider what would happen if they released Mixon, thus adding him to the deep pool of veteran running backs. Mixon surely wouldn't sign a better contract than the one he was just relieved from, and the Bengals would have an easier time replacing him and his production for a lower cost.
Who knows? Maybe if he isn't signed and stays on the market, the Bengals can bring him back on an even cheaper deal.
That sounds more likely at this point than nothing happening to him at all.
Bengals’ Joe Mixon makes strong statement regarding latest reporting on his future
Mixon left nothing to be misinterpreted.
