The Houston Texans have parted ways with running back Joe Mixon on Friday, freeing up $8 million in salary cap space. The two-time Pro Bowl player sat out the entire 2025 season due to a mysterious foot injury that never properly healed.
The Houston Texans made a significant roster move Friday by cutting ties with running back Joe Mixon, a two-time Pro Bowl selection, which creates $8 million in salary cap room for the franchise.
The 29-year-old Mixon sat out the complete 2025 campaign due to an unexplained foot ailment and was set to enter the last season of his three-year, $27 million contract that he inked in March 2024.
Houston managed to post a 12-5 record despite playing without Mixon and secured their third consecutive playoff berth. First-year player Woody Marks paced the squad with 703 rushing yards while seasoned veteran Nick Chubb contributed 506 yards on the ground.
Earlier this week, several media sources indicated that the Texans are bringing in running back David Montgomery from the Detroit Lions through a trade involving offensive lineman Juice Scruggs plus fourth- and seventh-round selections in the upcoming April draft.
During his debut 2024 campaign with Houston, Mixon accumulated 1,016 yards and 11 touchdowns. Throughout his career spanning 111 games (102 as a starter) with the Cincinnati Bengals (2017-23) and Texans, he has amassed 7,428 rushing yards and 60 touchdowns. His receiving statistics include 319 receptions for 2,448 yards and 14 scores.
During his season-ending media session on January 21, Texans general manager Nick Caserio spoke about Mixon’s situation, calling the running back’s foot problem a “freak thing.”
“It wasn’t like he was riding a snowmobile or anything like that,” Caserio said. “It was more of a medical condition or situation that never … really didn’t improve maybe as much as everybody would have hoped. I’m not trying to evade the question. That’s the reality of the situation. He didn’t jump off a building. He wasn’t cliff diving or anything. He wasn’t doing anything irresponsible. It was just a freak thing.”
Caserio also commented on the lack of clear information regarding Mixon’s puzzling injury that occurred during the offseason.
“It was a very unique situation,” Caserio said. “I don’t think anybody really had any clarity, honestly, from the start of the year until now. I’d say Joe worked very, very hard to try to get himself ready to play football. It just never manifested itself, came to fruition.”