Joe Mixon’s football future may have reached an answer nearly 18 months after his last carry.
The former Cincinnati Bengals running back may have told old teammates that he believes his NFL career is over.
NFL reporter Arye Pulli wrote that Mixon has delivered that message to former Bengals teammates.
Pulli said the information came from a source speaking to KPRC 2 Houston’s Aaron Wilson, who was told there is “some hope,” although Mixon’s career is considered more likely than not to be over.
Mixon has not publicly announced his retirement.
His last appearance came on Jan. 18, 2025, when he rushed for 88 yards and a touchdown in Houston’s divisional-round loss at Kansas City.
The possibility that it could stand as his final game would have been difficult to imagine then. Mixon had just completed a Pro Bowl season with 1,016 rushing yards, 11 rushing touchdowns, 309 receiving yards and another score.
Injury Turned a Pro Bowl Season Into a Lost Year
GettyKANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – JANUARY 18: Jaden Hicks #21 of the Kansas City Chiefs tackles Joe Mixon #28 of the Houston Texans during the third quarter in the Divisional Round playoff at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on January 18, 2025 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images)
The Houston Texans placed Mixon on the non-football injury list before the 2025 season because of a foot issue that remained unusually difficult to define from the outside.
He never returned to practice or appeared in a game.
Texans general manager Nick Caserio eventually described the situation as a “freak thing” and said the condition did not improve as much as anyone hoped. Caserio also revealed during the offseason that Mixon underwent surgery at some point during the lost season.
Houston released Mixon on March 6 with a non-football injury designation after the running back requested the move.
NFL.com noted that the injury wiped out his entire 2025 campaign and left interested teams needing confidence that his foot could withstand another season.
No such opportunity materialized before training camps opened.
That quiet free-agent market provided another warning.
Mixon remained productive the last time he played, finishing the 2024 regular season with 1,325 yards from scrimmage and 12 total touchdowns in 14 games. He added 194 rushing yards and two touchdowns across two playoff games.
The concerns have centered on whether his body would allow him to look like that player again.
Bengals Legacy Is Secure If This Is the End
GettyCINCINNATI, OHIO – DECEMBER 26: Joe Mixon #28 of the Cincinnati Bengals against the Baltimore Ravens at Paul Brown Stadium on December 26, 2021 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
Mixon would leave behind a significant place in Cincinnati history if the report proves final.
The Bengals selected him in the second round of the 2017 NFL draft, and he spent seven seasons as the center of their backfield.
The team’s official account of his departure credited him with 6,412 rushing yards, third most in franchise history, along with 49 rushing touchdowns and 1,571 carries, each ranking second.
He also served as a team captain three times and earned his first Pro Bowl selection during Cincinnati’s run to Super Bowl LVI.
Mixon produced several of the defining plays from that postseason.
He carried five times for 27 yards on the overtime possession that sent the Bengals past Kansas City in the AFC championship game. Two weeks later, he threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Tee Higgins in the Super Bowl loss to the Rams.
The Bengals traded him to Houston in March 2024, clearing the way for Chase Brown to take over the backfield.
Mixon responded with one of the strongest seasons of his career and appeared positioned to extend his run into his 30s.
Instead, an injury with few public details may have brought it to an abrupt stop.
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