Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon is another point of speculation as the team heads for an offseason of change.
Like with the questions around soon-to-be free agent Tyler Boyd, Mixon is one of the last remaining veterans who pushed through the lowest points of the rebuild before the Super Bowl run.
Unlike Boyd, Mixon is still under contract for next year, but he’s a guy who already had to take a pay cut to stay on the roster this past season.
Speaking on the field after the game, Mixon sounded like a player who plans on being back next year:
"At the end of the day I feel like we ended on a good note."
– Joe Mixon to @tiffblackmon following the Bengals season finale pic.twitter.com/J0nBoxXPOx
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) January 7, 2024
But in the locker room, Mixon did note that while he wasn’t taking the game as a farewell to the team, he’s been very appreciative of the chance to share these years with teammates, per CLNS Media’s Mike Petraglia:
Asked Joe Mixon if he felt like this was a farewell to Cincinnati “Just taking it all in… live in the moment… we built this from ground up.” Also had a special shout to Jessie Bates pic.twitter.com/FYhkeGaoui
— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) January 7, 2024
Mixon, who just rushed for 1,034 yards (4.0 average) and nine scores with 52 catches for 376 yards and another three scores, has one year left on his current contract. There’s an out built into it, though, and a cap hit of $8.5 million.
With rookie Chase Brown expected to get a bigger role next season and the potential for other additions, Mixon remains one of the more interesting things to watch around the team.
