Report: Bengals 'Believe' Joe Mixon 'Had a Good All-Around Year' amid Contract Buzz

The Cincinnati Bengals believe running back Joe Mixon "had a good all-around year" amid talk that he could be a salary-cap casualty this offseason.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler provided the latest report on SportsCenter.

"Joe Mixon, here's another one that's a high-end running back due $9.4 million in salary. The Bengals have been noncommittal about Mixon's future publicly, so that's why he's one to watch here because they need running back help, though, they're pretty thin behind him. So, they could keep him because they believe he had a good all-around year last year, but something has to give. They got to pay Joe Burrow, so they need some extra money."

Mixon signed a four-year, $48 million contract extension in Sept. 2020. He has two years left on his deal.

The running back carries $12.8 million and $13.1 million cap numbers for 2023 and 2024, respectively, per Over the Cap.

Mixon has played all six of his NFL seasons with the Bengals. He had 814 yards and seven touchdowns on 210 carries (3.9 yards per carry) in 2022 alongside 60 receptions, 441 receiving yards and two scores.

In February, Jay Morrison of The Athletic listed Mixon as a potential cap cut, noting the team would save $7.3 million with a pre-June 1 release:

"The Bengals envisioned this scenario coming into play when they signed Mixon to a four-year, $48 million contract in 2020, and structured the deal so that they could get out of it two years early without much of a hit.

"And with the Joe Burrow extension dictating so much of what the front office will do this offseason, reallocating $7.3 million to more pressing needs feels closer to a certainty than a mere possibility."

Publicly, the Bengals aren't committing to Mixon long term, with director of player personnel Duke Tobin and executive vice president Katie Blackburn issuing these remarks.

Those comments dropped before Cincinnati police refiled an aggravated menacing charge against Mixon because of an alleged road rage incident that occurred January 21, per TMZ Sports. Per WLWT's Steven Albritton, Mixon's court date is set for Wednesday.

The Bengals selected Mixon, who will turn 27 in July, in the second round in 2017. He has accumulated three 1,000-yard rushing seasons and earned Pro Bowl honors in 2021.