Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon dismisses report of him getting cut this offseason
Much of last offseason involved the future of Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon. After an underwhelming 2022 season and two separate off-field incidents, Mixon emerged as potential cap casualty or pay cut candidate for the team. Cincinnati eventually settled on the latter, and the final two years of Mixon's contract were adjusted accordingly.2023 has […]
Much of last offseason involved the future of Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon.
After an underwhelming 2022 season and two separate off-field incidents, Mixon emerged as potential cap casualty or pay cut candidate for the team. Cincinnati eventually settled on the latter, and the final two years of Mixon's contract were adjusted accordingly.
2023 has come and gone, and Mixon's future with the team is once again in question, at least from the outside looking in. Mixon himself would tell you nothing of the sort is true.
A recent report from Pro Football Network's Jay Morrison states, "the expectation is that Mixon will not be back for a chance at an eighth [season]. And even if Mixon accepts a pay cut similar to the one he took ahead of 2023 to stick around, he could struggle to lead the team as his carries would be greatly reduced with the emergence of Chase Brown."
Upon seeing the report pop up on X/Twitter, Mixon posted, "Lmao y’all said this last year too. That’s [clown] behavior."
Mixon established firm boundaries between him and certain members of Bengals media leading up to last season after taking issue to how he was being reported on. His being involved in two separate legal issues with his contract status up in the air culminated in a busy offseason period for him.
Mixon's new contract includes a roster bonus that is scheduled to be paid out on Mar. 18, which is five days after the new NFL league year and free agency begins. If Mixon is on the roster on that date, the Bengals owe him $3,000,028.
If the Bengals do plan to move on from Mixon, they will likely release him prior to the 18th of next month. It would be best for Mixon to see free agency as soon as possible as well so he doesn't get left behind in a stacked running back market. 10 of A to Z Sports' top 105 free agents are running backs.
None of this is set in stone, however. The Bengals could see Mixon as the best fit for them this upcoming season and pay him the $5.75 million in total cash they owe him this year. He'd carry a salary cap hit of $8.5 million for the year as well.
One thing's for certain: Mixon doesn't want to leave Cincinnati. Whether or not the club feels the same remains to be seen.
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