Joe Mixon says he's focused on being team leader after resolving offseason issues

With his offseason off-the-field issues behind him, Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon is moving on in preparation for the 2023 season.

Specifically, Mixon is focused on being a team leader as he enters his seventh season in the NFL after being found not guilty of aggravated menacing and having his contract restructured.

“At the end of the day, I’m going to keep it to football questions,” Mixon said Monday, via ESPN. “But it’s a great thing for everything to be pretty much over with. And to be able to hone in on being the best teammate that I can possibly be. Being the leader and the captain that I am around the team.”

Mixon, 27, 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. 

After months of uncertainty surrounding his future in the Cincinnati, the Bengals and Mixon agreed to a new deal lowering his 2023 cap hit from over $12 million to $8.5 million. Mixon explained why it was so important for him to restructure his deal this offseason.

“We see the Super Bowl window,” Mixon said. “As long as we keep everybody together, we’re right there. Hopefully these guys get their deals done.”

If a Super Bowl is in the cards, Mixon will likely need to resemble the 2021 version of himself. Mixon rushed for a career-high 1,205 yards and 13 touchdowns, helping to lead the Bengals to Super Bowl LVI.

Joe Mixon wants to finish career with Bengals

Head coach Zac Taylor, however, isn’t concerned about Mixon’s box score. Taylor’s priority lies with the Bengals being one of the highest-scoring teams in the league.

“How many rushing yards a game and how many passing yards a game we have does not matter to me,” Taylor recently said. “We just want to be one of the top-scoring teams in the league. Do a great job possessing the ball when we need to and keep our defense off the field. Controlling the game that way.”

Mixon added it’s his desire to finish his career with the Bengals — the organization which selected him in the second-round of the 2017 NFL Draft out of Oklahoma.

“I’m just going to try to do whatever I can to be what I am to my teammates and to the fans… Try to do whatever I can to be that positive role model in this locker room,” Mixon said. “Because that’s what matters.”