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Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon is the biggest talking point around the team right now as contract extension news remains in a holding pattern.
The Bengals want to work something out and Mixon’s social media posts have created all sorts of confusion for fans.
Presumably, part of the reason fans haven’t seen an extension happen yet is due to the two parties disagreeing on the final numbers. A recent report said Mixon wants to be paid like a top-eight back, which would check him in around $8 million per year.
CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora went to the extreme in the other direction though, suggesting much higher:
“He is the very rare NFL back in this age of extreme passing who is worth $15M a season or more. He makes a difference all three downs and will be a savior of sorts this season with so many young, new parts trying to hold the Bengals attack together.”
It’s true Bengals coaches have been very open about wanting to get Mixon even more touches in 2020. But the problem with a $15 million AAV is it would put him above all running backs in the NFL besides Christian McCaffrey and Ezekiel Elliott in AAV.
That’s problematic in Cincinnati given the strong depth of the running back depth chart. Coaches could easily work in some tandem of Giovani Bernard, Trayveon Williams and Rodney Anderson to divide things and keep everyone fresh. It’s also problematic logistically after the team spent massive money in free agency and next year’s salary cap could end up getting reduced.
Still, it isn’t difficult to see Mixon’s reps arguing along these same lines on the McCaffrey front, while the Bengals raise some of the opposite points above. The key is finding the right middle ground and both sides probably prefer that happens before the regular season starts.
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