Perhaps the biggest question surrounding the Houston Texans‘ offseason is the status of Pro Bowl running back Joe Mixon and his long-term future off NRG Drive.

Two years ago, following a trade from Cincinnati, Mixon was the constant for Houston’s offense, regaining his peak form while becoming the first running back since Carlos Hyde in 2019 to rush for 1,000 yards. He earned a Pro Bowl nod, scored 11 touchdowns and looked like the next great rusher for AFC South fanchise.

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Fast-forward 14 months and all signs point toward Mixon and the Texans parting ways before the start of free agency next month.

General manager Nick Caserio told reporters on Tuesday in Indianapolis at the NFL scouting combine that while he’s spoken to Mixon since the end of the season, his future status remains a mystery. In reality, it’s a quiet way of saying that the two sides are at an impasse that likely ends with each party going its separate ways.

“It’s day-to-day,” Caserio told reporters at the combine of Mixon’s situation. “We’ve had conversations, tried to get a little more information. I think he had a surgery in some capacity this offseason.

“It’s a moving target. We’ll kind of see what the availability is going to be, what the prognosis is for the season and then ultimately try to figure out what makes sense for everybody involved.”

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Any news of Mixon would be a first for the Texans since last offseason. Throughout the summer training camp, he was rumored to be dealing with a lower-body injury, but no one knew the severity entering the regular season. His condition, however, never improved, thus leading to him missing the entire regular season.

The Texans are now at a crossroads between freeing up cap space and trusting that the former 1,000-yard runner can make it back to his 2024 form. By cutting Mixon, the Texans could save $8.5 million in salary cap space, thus helping them become cap compliant.

Entering free agency, the Texans are currently $4.9 million over the salary cap, though several moves could eventually free up over $30 million.

“I think there are a lot of things between now and the start of the league year (March 11), to try to figure out for planning, whatever the result is,” Caserio told reporters. “Whether it’s Joe or other players in a similar category.”

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The Texans must fix the run game if they plan on competing for a trip to the Super Bowl. That likely means Houston will attack this issue without Mixon sticking around.

This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Why the Texans and RB Joe Mixon are headed for a split in 2026