Texans give Joe Mixon 3-year, $27M extension, sources say

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DJ Bien-Aime, ESPNMar 14, 2024, 06:13 PM ET

DJ Bien-Aime covers the Houston Texans for ESPN. He joined ESPN in July of 2022 after covering the New York Jets. He’s a former athlete who finished his college career at Louisville. You can catch DJ on ESPN Radio on his show, “Talkin’ Texans.”HOUSTON — Two days after trading for running back Joe Mixon, the Houston Texans gave him a three-year, $27 million contract extension, including $13 million guaranteed, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

On Tuesday, the Texans traded a 2024 seventh-round pick to the Cincinnati Bengals for Mixon after he was expected to be released when the Bengals reached a deal with free agent running back Zack Moss on Monday.

The Texans hope Mixon, who rushed for 1,034 yards and nine touchdowns, can bolster their 2023 rushing attack that ranked just 28th in yards per game (92.7).

Mixon said the trade was “a shocker” for him.

“I gotta say it was definitely shocking,” Mixon said on Thursday. “I took that 24 to 48 hours to hurt. It took a while and I’m still having emotional feelings about it. But that’s the place where I can forever feel like that’s home for me.”

The former 2017 second-round pick spent seven seasons in Cincinnati and was a Pro Bowl selection in 2021. He was a member of the Bengals team that lost to the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LVI.

Mixon, 27, rushed for 6,412 yards during his Bengals career, averaging 4.1 yards per carry and scoring 49 touchdowns. He also caught 283 passes for 2,139 yards and 14 TDs.

However, Mixon is eager for the new start in Houston and hopes to bring similar success from Cincinnati.

“We bought the city of Cincinnati, we got it back lit again, and I plan on bringing that same thing here,” Mixon said. “[Texan] fans, I’m sure — they got a taste of it last year, but I feel like with what we’ve got in the making, I think it’s going to be a great thing. Like I said, I’m just excited to be here, feel wanted, and I just can’t wait to make the most of my opportunity when my number is called.”

One reason Mixon is enthusiastic about being in Houston is 2023 Offensive Rookie of the Year quarterback C.J. Stroud, who led the NFL in touchdown-to-interception ratio (23:5) and passed for 274 yards per game.

“Yeah, well, C.J. is a phenomenal player. Obviously, he was the Rookie of the Year, and that ain’t by no fluke,” Mixon said. “… With the quarterback we’ve got in C.J., like I said, he’s phenomenal, and I know for a fact he’s going to make that next jump, and that’s in terms of them playoff wins. But obviously we take them one game at a time.”