Insider Expects Bengals to Try to Restructure Joe Mixon's Contract Before Start of 2023 Season

The 26-year-old ran for 814 yards last season.

Author:
Russ Heltman
Publish date:
Jul 7, 2023 2:36 PM EDT

In this story:

CINCINNATI — Joe Mixon's future has been a hot topic all offseason long. He's still on the roster and had an impressive offseason, but it sounds like the Bengals will still approach the 26-year-old about restructuring his contract.

Mixon is set to make more than $10 million this season and has a $12.8 million cap hit.

Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic expects the Bengals to approach the one-time Pro Bowler about a restructure before the start of the season.

"There's just no way. They're not going to keep Joe Mixon at $12.8 million against the cap when they're trying to do what they're trying to do," Dehner said on Cincinnati Bengals Talk. "A restructure needs to be done. It needs to be figured out. They need to figure that out between both sides."We know where that market has re-settled at and it ain't $12.8 million in cap and $10 million in cash. Not for Joe Mixon. That's not a rip on Joe Mixon necessarily, it's just to point out what paying a running back should look like today."

Mixon had his best season in 2021 when he ran for 1,205 yards and 13 touchdowns. Last season he finished with 814 yards, seven touchdowns and a career-high 60 receptions.

It's clear the Bengals want to keep Mixon, but the final decision could come down to his willingness to restructure his contract.

"They're going to try to figure out an answer there that works for both sides," Dehner said. "Both sides have to agree on that number. If they do, Joe Mixon will be here and he'll play a role just like Zac Taylor has talked about and we've heard them say. If he doesn't, that's his choice. That would be his choice to say 'I'd rather go elsewhere, I can get more elsewhere or it matters to me, I'm not gonna have you degrade me with that offer and I'm gonna leave.' We've seen other running backs take cuts and understand it. we don't know how this will necessarily play out. We haven't even come to the tipping point yet. I would be on the ground, stunned if you had Joe Mixon at $12.8 million on your cap."

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