The Bengals are in lockstep with star quarterback Joe Burrow regarding negotiations for a long-term contract. That’s not the case with one of Burrow’s most accomplished teammates, running back Joe Mixon. In the wake of two off-field incidents, the former Pro Bowler may or may not remain with Cincinnati for the 2023 season, as executive Katie Blackburn told reporters this week.
“Right now, he’s on the team and we are gonna count on him until that wouldn’t be the case,” Blackburn said, per The Athletic. “You’ve seen other teams have to make moves. … Could we get to that point? Maybe. But it would be down the road here and we’d have to see if that’s what makes sense or not.”
Mixon’s future is cloudy, it seems, mostly because of his lofty price tag — he’s due almost $12.8 million in 2023 — rather than his alleged off-field issues. The veteran was not charged in a shooting that allegedly occurred at his home earlier this month, but he faces a charge of aggravated menacing from an alleged separate gun-related incident in January. Blackburn said at the NFL owners meetings she hasn’t recently spoken to Mixon about either incident.
“I don’t want to get into how that might end up, so I don’t know that it’s fair to say anything,” she said. “But I think it will get resolved, hopefully fairly soon. He’s done a lot of great things for the team. I think he’s still got a lot of great production in him, so I hope his other issues all get resolved in a positive way.”
The Bengals would save $7.2M by releasing Mixon now, per Over the Cap, or up to $10M by designating him a post-June 1 cut.
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Author: Cody Benjamin
March 31, 2023 | 10:34 am
