Joe Mixon agrees to restructured contract with Cincinnati Bengals

The Cincinnati Bengals and Joe Mixon have agreed to a restructured contract leading the way for the star running back to remain in Cincinnati.

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, Mixon was set to earn a $9.4 million non-guaranteed base salary for this season and represent a $12.8 million hit against the salary cap.

“Joe’s goal is to win a Super Bowl and play his career in Cincinnati and this is the best way to accomplish these goals,” said Peter Schaffer, Mixon’s agent.

Mixon, entering his seventh season in the NFL, is coming off a down season in 2022. He suited up in 14 games, rushing for 814 yards and seven touchdowns on 3.9 yards per carry. Mixon, however, was productive in the passing game, hauling in a career-high 60 receptions for 441 yards and two scores. 

Amid the uncertainty surrounding his future, Cincinnati added to its backfield in April’s NFL Draft. The Bengals selected former Illinois running back Chase Brown in the fifth-round. Brown joins a group which includes Mixon, Trayveon Williams and Chris Evans. Brown, Williams and Evans will battle it out for backup duties after Samaje Perine signed with the Denver Broncos in free agency.’

“You hear a lot of noise, but at the same time, when you don’t pay attention and you don’t see it, none of that affects you,” Mixon said of the offseason smoke around him. “What matters most is [team owner] Mike Brown. He comes up to me at practice and he’s always happy to see me, and that’s the best feeling. It don’t get no better than that.”

Joe Mixon has vote of confidence from Bengals owner

That relationship between player and owner is something Mixon does not take for granted, and he knows that loyalty from the longtime Cincinnati owner is a big reason why he’s still around to tote the rock.

“He’s the owner, and he makes the decisions,” Mixon said. “He embraced me since day one and I love Mike and I know Mike loves me too. So it’s a great thing to have. I feel like our front office, everybody is great to me. Everybody has backed me 100 percent, and it’s a great feeling. Just the love and support that I get from them continuously. Very appreciative. Words really don’t explain the true feeling of what that means to me.”