Bengals' Joe Mixon Refutes Buzz About Possible Release: 'That's 🤡 Behavior'

Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon doesn't seem to believe that there is validity to rumors that the team is expected to move on from him in the offseason.

Mixon responded to a rumor regarding his future with a clown emoji in a post on X.

Jay Morrison of Pro Football Network originally reported on Thursday that "the expectation is that Mixon will not be back" for the Bengals' 2024 campaign after accumulating 1,034 yards on 257 carries in 17 games last season.

Although he was able to surpass the 1,000-yard threshold for the fourth time in his career, the former second-round pick has seen his weekly production dip in recent years. After averaging 75.7 yards per game and 4.3 yards per attempt from 2018 through 2021, he's recorded just 59.6 yards per game and 4.0 yards per attempt during the past two seasons.

Mixon has also struggled in pass protection, leading to the Bengals opting to keep him on the sidelines in passing situations throughout the year.

As the former Pro Bowler pointed out in his social media post, his future in Cincinnati also appeared uncertain following the 2022 season. Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin told reporters at the time that he didn't know if Mixon would stay on the roster.

However, the two sides eventually reworked the running back's contract to include a base salary of $5.51 million for 2023 and an extra $2 million available in incentives.

The team will have another decision to make regarding Mixon this offseason, as he's due a $3 million roster bonus on March 16 and has a cap hit of $8.85 million for 2024 (via Spotrac). If the Bengals choose to let him go, they'll save just under $6 million in cap space.

However, Mixon doesn't seem to believe that his future with the organization is in jeopardy.