Dalvin Cook starts potential holdout dominoes that could impact Joe Mixon

Could the Cincinnati Bengals and Joe Mixon be on the way to a holdout?

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The Cincinnati Bengals have made it clear they want to get an extension done with star running back Joe Mixon, likely over the summer.

But as the summer approaches, the two sides could always be headed toward holdout territory.

That’s something the Minnesota Vikings apparently have to put up with right now with star back Dalvin Cook, who will reportedly hold out into the summer until he gets a “reasonable” deal.

As ESPN’s Dan Graziano pointed out, Cook could merely be the first of many running backs to pull this move. Mixon is one, as is New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara:

But “reasonable” is the big sticking point when it comes to Mixon. There’s a clear separation between the biggest three or four deals given to backs like Ezekiel Elliott, and the second half of the top 10, which features notes like $24 million going to Austin Ekeler.

If Mixon’s camp is fine with an AAV of $8-10 million a year then both sides probably get something done over the summer. One report has said the Bengals are ready for a holdout if necessary, but a more recent report said both sides had “productive” talks.

The Bengals getting something done on this front soon is reasonable as the cap-space outlook is just fine for such a move and it seems A.J. Green will have to wait and likely play on the tag. But Cook’s move is the first sign things are really getting back to normal — it’s holdout season.

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