It could be a one-and-done for two-time Pro Bowl running back Joe Mixon and the Houston Texans.
The new league year is less than a month away, and teams around the league are going to spend that time clearing as much salary cap space as they possibly can in order to strategize how to attack free agency. The Texans, who are coming off a Divisional Round loss to the New England Patriots, are no different.
Joe Mixon Floated As Potential Cut Candidate
It was a perplexing campaign for Mixon and the Texans. The 29-year-old missed the entirety of organized team activities, minicamp, and the ensuing training camp slate after sustaining a lower-leg injury during the offseason.
That injury would ultimately rob Mixon of the entire season, keeping him out of commission while the Texans leaned on rookie running back Woody Marks and Nick Chubb to lead the running game.
The Texans were relatively quiet about Mixon’s status throughout the season, revealing few details, prompting widespread confusion. He opened the year on the reserve/non-football injury list after an encouraging 2024 season, marking his first in Houston. He was traded to the Texans in the spring of 2024 after seven seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Despite accumulating over 1,300 yards and 12 touchdowns from scrimmage in his first year with the Texans, The Athletic’s Mike Jones mentioned Mixon as a potential cap casualty, and that certainly isn’t out of the realm of possibility. Mixon will turn 30 this summer, and Marks, a fourth-round pick, displayed promise as a rookie.
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“There’s a good deal of uncertainty hovering over Mixon, who missed all of last season with a foot injury that general manager Nick Caserio has classified as a ‘freak’ injury,” Jones wrote.
“The Texans haven’t offered a lot of clarity on Mixon’s availability, although Caserio says that the 29-year-old is working hard to return. Given the uncertainty, it’s believed that Mixon, who would count roughly $8.5 million against the cap, would be a prime candidate to be released as a cost-saving measure.”
In the Texans’ playoff loss to the Patriots, quarterback C.J. Stroud threw four interceptions with a lone touchdown for a passer rating of 28.0. Nothing the Texans attempted to do on the ground was working.
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Marks ran 14 times for 17 yards, and Chubb accumulated just 14 yards on four carries. A promising Houston season went out with a whimper against the team that would eventually go on to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl.
For the year, the Texans sans Mixon ranked 23rd in PFSN Offense Impact score en route to a 12-5 record, falling short of winning the division. The AFC South crown went to the Jacksonville Jaguars, who lost in the Wild Card Round at home to the Buffalo Bills.
