Bengals trading RB Joe Mixon to Texans

League sources indicate that the Cincinnati Bengals, who had originally intended to release veteran running back Joe Mixon, have instead agreed to trade him to the Houston Texans.

After reaching a deal to sign former Indianapolis Colts running back Zack Moss on Monday, Mixon spent the previous seven years with the Bengals.

In terms of overall touchdowns, Mixon placed sixth, had the most carries, and third in terms of rushing yards in the team’s history.

He negotiated a wage cut before the season to avoid being released, and as a result, he was third in the NFL in terms of rushing attempts last year, carrying the ball 257 times for 1,034 yards and 4 yards per carry.

The 27-year-old Mixon was expected to sign a contract with one of the many veteran running back classes available in free agency, but instead he will join the Texans, who made a postseason run in 2023 with quarterback C.J. Stroud and first-year coach Demeco Ryans.

After being selected 48th overall in 2017, Mixon surprised many by dropping down the draft boards because of a videotaped incident in which he struck Amelia Molitor in 2016. Mixon settled a civil lawsuit with the victim prior to joining the Bengals. Mixon avoided problems off the field and flourished in Cincinnati, where he was rewarded with a four-year, $48 million extension in 2020.

His off-field problems reappeared in 2023 after two distinct events involving him. In the first instance, he was found not guilty of aggravated menacing, which happened the weekend of a Buffalo playoff game. The second was a gunshot incident that happened at his house and led to charges against his sister and her partner as well as an ongoing civil case.

More rushing yards and attempts are left by Mixon than by any other running back from the highly anticipated class of 2017, which saw nine different players accumulate at least 5,000 yards from scrimmage. After his freshman year, he stumbled just three times in spite of the heavy effort.

Some believed that by holding off on releasing Mixon until the conclusion of the first day of free agency, when many other running back spots were already taken, the Bengals were doing Mixon a favor. As it happens, they actually did him a favor when they were leaving. They not only dealt him to a contender and an offense that seems like a perfect fit stylistically next to C.J. Stroud, but they also get him to keep every penny of the paycut contract he reworked the previous year. In an attempt to increase his wages, Mixon extended his contract by one year, but his anticipated release resulted in the loss of the $5.75 million and $3 million roster bonus. Rather, he gathers beside Houston.