Tag: Joe Mixon

Joe Mixon’s future with Bengals could be decided by this key date

The Bengals need to make a decision on Joe Mixon by this key date.

Like last year, the Cincinnati Bengals have a tough decision to make with running back Joe Mixon.

And there’s a notable due date this time.

After taking a pay cut to stay with the team last offseason, Mixon’s contract is once again worth scrutinizing because it comes with an $8.85 million cap hit.

March 17 is the date to know. That’s when a $3 million roster bonus for Mixon goes official. If the Bengals were to cut Mixon, they save $6.1 million and eat a $2.75 million cap charge, so that date is something to consider.

Moving on from Mixon is tricky, though. He’s coming off a season with 1,034 yards on a 4.0 average (take out 111 yards and a score in a meaningless Week 18 game, though) and he rarely fumbles.

But performance vs. pay-wise, the Bengals said last year they wanted to get more explosive, then didn’t. Joe Burrow said the same thing about the position at his end-of-year presser this year, too.

Mixon isn’t that, at least not compared to a rookie or free agent they could bring in to pair with Chase Brown. But there’s also an emotional aspect of this, with Mixon being a locker room leader and a remnant of the depressing rebuilding days.

For his part, Mixon has clapped back at people who think he’s on his way out the door. And he could be right, especially if the team approaches him about another contract rewriting (keep in mind there could always be an extension that lowers the immediate cap hit, potentially).

But that March 17 date is one to know. Free agency starts March 13, so if the team sees the market rates and/or finds a player they like, it could weigh heavily on their approach.

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Fans debate Joe Mixon’s future with Bengals after report

It’s only February…but the Joe Mixon debate is alive and well.

The future of Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon with the team is once again a conversation point for fans and media this offseason.

No great shock there, not after Mixon took a pay cut to remain with the team last season and has one year left on his current deal at a pretty hefty cap hit.

Mixon himself provided some fuel for the fire on Twitter recently by clapping back at a report that he might not be on the team in 2024.

That only sparked more conversation, so here’s a look at how fans and media have discussed the situation over the last few days.

Joe Mixon shreds idea he won’t be back with Bengals in 2024

Joe Mixon has thoughts about a report he won’t return to the Bengals.

Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon sees the “rumors” about his potentially leaving the team this offseason.

And he sure has some thoughts about it.

To set the stage, Pro Football Network’s Jay Morrison wrote this week that there’s an “expectation” that Mixon won’t be back with the team.

Mixon, who took a pay cut to stay with the team last year, has one year left on his current contract, though Spotrac notes that there’s an “out” built into it this offseason that the team could use.

An aggregator account on Twitter picked up the story — and so did Mixon:

Mixon has made it clear he wants to stay in Cincinnati and there’s a chance he might after rushing for 1,034 yards (4.0 average) and nine scores and catching another 52 passes for 376 yards and three scores.

There’s an argument the Bengals might want to get even younger at the position and they might. But the pay cut last year reportedly slashed $4.39 million off his 2023 contract and $4.67 million in 2024, leaving next year’s cap hit right around $8.8 million, same as 2023.

The team will need to decide if it requires a chunk of that change for things like Tee Higgins’ expected franchise tag and outside free agents, but it has plenty of cap space as it is.

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Every NFL team’s rushing leader from the 2023 regular season

Here is every team’s leading rusher from the 2023 campaign

A Carolina Panther led the entire NFL in rushing this past season!

Oh, wait . . . our apologies . . .

A former Carolina Panther led the entire NFL in rushing this past season!  So, congratulations to Christian McCaffrey, who is also just days away from playing on the game’s biggest stage.

Now, as we continue to put a bow on the year, let’s look back at each team’s leading rusher from the 2023 regular season.

Dan Pitcher to take close look at Bengals’ running game over offseason

Dan Pitcher has big plans for Bengals’ running game.

The Cincinnati Bengals‘ new offensive coordinator is already putting some of his ideas out there even though they are staring down a long offseason.

Dan Pitcher wants to take a look at every aspect of the offense over the offseason and make sure it is working as well as it could be for the team, and the run game is a big part of that for him.

“Being able to run the ball is critical to offensive success. And what that looks like is different for every team,” Pitcher said per Geoff Hobson at Bengals.com. “That’s something we’ll look at over the course of the next couple of months when we get back together as a staff and we figure out how to put our players in the best position to be successful. We’ll work on improving in that area as we will in every other one.”

Mixon led the team this season with 257 carries for 1,034 yards and nine touchdowns, followed by rookie Chase Brown, who started to get more work in the second half of the season on the ground, contributing 44 rushes for 179 yards and showing off some impressive explosiveness.

Running the ball has been somewhat of a strength for the Bengals in years past with Joe Mixon in the backfield, but Pitcher still will be taking a close look, especially after 2023 when Cincinnati was dead last in the entire NFL with just 89.8 yards per game.

Some of that has to do with the fact that the Bengals are a pass-first team, but their efficiency on the ground wasn’t great either. They were ranked 15th in the league in rushing EPA/play. Pitcher is going to dive into that and try to come up with a fix by the time next season rolls around.

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Joe Mixon talks about his past and future with Bengals after season ends

Interesting comments from Bengals RB Joe Mixon.

Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon is another point of speculation as the team heads for an offseason of change.

Like with the questions around soon-to-be free agent Tyler Boyd, Mixon is one of the last remaining veterans who pushed through the lowest points of the rebuild before the Super Bowl run.

Unlike Boyd, Mixon is still under contract for next year, but he’s a guy who already had to take a pay cut to stay on the roster this past season.

Speaking on the field after the game, Mixon sounded like a player who plans on being back next year:

But in the locker room, Mixon did note that while he wasn’t taking the game as a farewell to the team, he’s been very appreciative of the chance to share these years with teammates, per CLNS Media’s Mike Petraglia:

Mixon, who just rushed for 1,034 yards (4.0 average) and nine scores with 52 catches for 376 yards and another three scores, has one year left on his current contract. There’s an out built into it, though, and a cap hit of $8.5 million.

With rookie Chase Brown expected to get a bigger role next season and the potential for other additions, Mixon remains one of the more interesting things to watch around the team.

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Watch: Joe Mixon scores 2 TDs to put Bengals over Browns

Joe Mixon popped off early for the Bengals.

Sunday felt like a game where a veteran Cincinnati Bengals player might go off for a big performance while setting the tone for the upcoming offseason.

It turns out that veteran was running back Joe Mixon.

In the first quarter alone, Mixon rushed six times for 80 yards, with one of those attempts a huge 44-yard gain to put him up over the 1,000-yard mark on the season.

Mixon also rushed for a touchdown and his lone catch of the quarter went for a touchdown, too, giving his team a 14-point lead going into the second quarter.

Here’s a look at the scores from Mixon:

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Joe Mixon added to Browns vs. Bengals injury report for Week 18

A new face on the Week 18 Browns vs. Bengals injury report.

Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon joined the injury report ahead of the season finale against the Cleveland Browns.

Citing an illness, Mixon joined wideout Tee Higgins as the only DNP statuses:

  • RB Joe Mixon (DNP)
  • WR Tee Higgins (DNP)
  • WR Ja’Marr Chase (FP)
  • QB Jake Browning (FP)
  • CB Chidobe Awuzie (LP)
  • CB Jalen Davis (LP)

Of note, Ja’Marr Chase got upgraded to a full practice on Thursday, which coincided with him telling reporters that he’ll play no matter what.

Quarterback Jake Browning is a new arrival to the injury report with a foot issue, too, though he went in full.

With Higgins missing another day, it’s safe to think he’ll miss the finale, barring a massive turnaround on Friday.

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Watch: Jake Browning hits Joe Mixon for TD to take lead over Chiefs

The Bengals with a big TD vs. the Chiefs.

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Jake Browning looked perfectly comfortable on the road during the first half of his team’s Week 17 game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Case in point, Browning led the Bengals down the field for a field goal on the opening drive of the game. Three of his rushes on that drive alone went for first downs.

Then, he led an outright scoring drive, marching down the field again and finding running back Joe Mixon for a touchdown that put his team ahead before halftime.

That performance continued before halftime, too, with his running and/or feigning a run before passing leading another strong drive.

But for now, the big highlight:

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Nation’s No. 1 running back in the class of 2024 officially signs with the Oklahoma Sooners

The Oklahoma Sooners add Taylor Tatum to the team after he officially signs his National Letter of Intent.

The [autotag]2024 early signing period[/autotag] is here, and the Oklahoma Sooners have received the signature from one of their most sought prospects. [autotag]Taylor Tatum[/autotag] is a five-star prospect and the nation’s top running back in the class of 2024.

Tatum could come in and immediately contribute to a running back room for Oklahoma that was up and down in 2023. He has a very similar playing style to former Sooners running back [autotag]Joe Mixon[/autotag].

He’s not as big as Mixon, though, listed at 5 feet, 11 inches and 205 pounds. He can help in the passing game as well as the running game. He’s also a dual sport athlete who is expected to play both football and baseball at Oklahoma.

Here is what Gabe Brooks, a national scouting analyst for 247Sports, had to say about Tatum:

Instinctive lane-finder. Plays with patience. Presses blocks to allow for holes to materialize. Also knows how to buy a couple more strides of time on perimeter runs to help blockers re-route defenders. Quick-footed in the hole. Regularly makes something out of nothing when penetration disrupts play in the backfield. – Brooks

More from the [autotag]2024 Early Signing Period[/autotag]

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