Updated Jan. 21, 2026, 9:31 a.m. ET
There are plenty of former Cincinnati Bengals players making headlines around the NFL right now.
None are more mysterious than Joe Mixon, though.
Mixon didn’t play a snap for the Houston Texans in 2025 while battling a foot injury that had a rather strange saga around it.
According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, a source described Mixon’s career as “in doubt” during the season. Throughout the year, an injury return was never close and the team honored Mixon’s wishes for privacy.
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“As of right now, I don’t know that answer right now,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans told Wilson about Mixon’s status for 2026. “No clarity.”
The Bengals traded Mixon to the Texans, rather than cutting him, and he responded with a 1,000-yard season and 11 rushing scores over 14 games in 2024.
Mixon, who will turn 30 this July, could be on the free-agent market this offseason if he wants to continue his career, given the circumstances.
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