It’s not a done deal, but Joe Mixon’s career may be over.
Mixon has told his former Bengals teammates that he’s done playing football after missing last season with a mysterious injury, according to Texans reporter Aaron Wilson.
Wilson discussed the Mixon news on a live stream Tuesday and said that the former Bengals and Texans star running back has been honest about retiring.
“He [Mixon] has not filed his retirement papers,” Wilson reported. “He has told former teammates from the Bengals that his career is over. I had a source close to Joe tell me recently there’s some hope, but I think it’s probably over.”
After being ruled out for the first four weeks last year, Mixon ended up missing the entire season with an apparent leg injury, though not many details were provided on it.
Texans general manager Nick Caserio admitted the team didn’t know where Mixon was in his recovery process and called it a freak medical situation.
Before free agency on March 6, the Texans released Mixon at his own request and cleared $8 million in cap space.
In his lone healthy season with the Texans in 2024, Mixon rushed for 1,016 yards and 11 touchdowns while averaging 4.1 yards per carry behind a woeful offensive line.
Despite his successful 2024 season, Mixon is more well-known for his seven years with the Bengals, where he rushed for 6,412 yards and 49 touchdowns.
In the Bengals’ 2021 Super Bowl run, Mixon rushed for 262 yards and a touchdown across four playoff games.
Without Mixon in the fold, the Texans backfield is now headlined by new addition David Montgomery and 2025 fourth-round pick Woody Marks.
