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Joe Mixon #28 of the Houston Texans celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys.
Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon has been adamant that he will return to the field to make an impact again. However, the franchise is less certain about that after the soon-to-be 30-year-old missed the entire 2025 season with a mysterious injury.
The Texans have made no bones about what having Mixon would have meant to the team this past season, in which they finished 22nd in rushing yards.
At the same time, Texans general manager Nick Caserio has remained pragmatic.
Texans Deliver Reality Check About Joe Mixon
GettyJoe Mixon #28 of the Houston Texans warms up before a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Caserio joined “Payne & Pendergast” on Thursday, and the Texans GM did not waver from his previous messaging about Mixon: his future–not just with the team, but in the NFL–remains in question.
“We’re, at some point, probably going to see Joe for an evaluation to kind of see where he is. I know I got asked about it a lot,” Caserio said on the show on February 5. “Honestly, Joe worked really hard to try to get himself ready. I think he’s committed to trying to be able to play football this year. We’ll see if he physically is able to do it or not. So, it’s a little bit of a moving target still.
“As we get a little bit closer, we’ll probably have a better idea. Before we get to the season, I’m sure we’ll have an idea–probably know before then–what Joe’s situation is.”
Caserio’s previous remarks underscored the uncertainty around Mixon’s situation.
“It was a very unique situation. I don’t think anybody really had any clarity, honestly, from the start of the year until now,” Caserio said in January, adding that Mixon had pushed himself to return but was simply unable.
“Probably have an opportunity to kind of see where he is in the offseason, relative to next year. But again, it was very it was as unique a situation, an injury, as I’ve been associated with. And it’s just, I don’t want to call it a ‘freak thing,’ but it’s just kind of a freak thing. And Joe worked really hard, put his best foot forward. It just–it didn’t work out.”
That has left the Texans and Mixon facing a cold reality that the two-time Pro Bowler may have already played his final down for the franchise, if not in the NFL.
Joe Mixon Makes Bold Claim
GettyJoe Mixon #28 of the Houston Texans is introduced before facing the Los Angeles Chargers in the AFC Wild Card Playoffs.
Mixon drew attention with his recent remarks, shared via the Texans’ star’s Instagram story, which vowed “vengeance” next season. The Houston Chronicle’s Jonathan M. Alexander called the comment a “welcomed sight.”
Alexander called Mixon “one of the NFL’s most fearsome runners.”
He is also an adept pass-catcher, posting more than 300 receiving yards in four straight seasons from 2021 through 2024.
“An apparently rare medical condition he learned about in the spring, which caused Mixon to miss the 2025 season, has Texans decision-makers questioning whether he’ll actually be able to return next season,” The Houston Chronicle’s Jonathan M. Alexander wrote in January.
Mixon is entering the final season of a three-year, $19.7 million contract.
However, there is no more guaranteed money on the deal, so the Texans could choose to part ways with Mixon this offseason if their looming check-in is not encouraging enough.
Josh Buckhalter covers the NBA and NFL for Heavy.com. He has covered both leagues since 2016, including bylines at FanSided, Last Word on Sports and Clocker Sports. He’s based in Villa Park, Illinois. Follow Josh on Twitter and Instagram: @JoshGBuck More about Josh Buckhalter
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