Ben BabyESPN Staff Writer Jul 14, 2023 8:19pm ET2 minute read
CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Bengals continue to rely on running back Joe Mixon.
On Friday night, the Bengals agreed to a reshuffle of Mixon’s contract in order to keep him for the upcoming season, his agent Peter Schaeffer told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Mixon had a non-guaranteed base salary of $9.4 million this season, which represented a $12.8 million decrease in salary cap.
The six-year veteran spent his entire NFL career with the Bengals. In 14 games last season, Mixon rushed for 814 yards and seven touchdowns. While recovering from a concussion, he missed two games. Still, Mixon’s numbers are down compared to his Pro Bowl season in 2021, when he rushed for a career-high 1,205 rushing yards.
As production dwindled, Mixon’s 2023 cap created uncertainty about his future with the team. At the NFL’s Scouting Combine in February, de facto general manager Duke Tobin said it was unclear if Mixon would return. But after the April draft, when the Bengals didn’t make a running back until they picked Illinois’ Chase Brown in the fifth round, Mixon’s status at Cincinnati seemed a bit more stable.
“His future is here with the team,” Taylor said after the Bengals drafted Brown. “I like Joe Mixon.”
During his four-year tenure with the Bengals, Taylor expressed his support for Mixon, the former Oklahoma standout who the team drafted in 2017. Mixon didn’t answer reporters’ questions during the team’s off-season training sessions, but expressed excitement at continuing with the team.
“Grade 7, back,” Mixon said in a brief statement on April 17 before exiting the dressing room.
Mixon has been with the team at both voluntary and mandatory training sessions while awaiting the settlement of his legal situation. A serious misdemeanor threat is currently pending against Mixon, which will go before the court on August 14 during training camp in Cincinnati. According to police files obtained by ESPN, Mixon allegedly pointed a gun at a woman and threatened to shoot her while she was having a roadside rage on Jan. 21.
According to the Cincinnati Police Department, the incident happened 24 hours before the Bengals played the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round of the AFC playoffs. Mixon pleaded not guilty to the charges.