Texans Make Official Decision on Joe Mixon's Future

The Joe Mixon era is officially over for the Houston Texans.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Texans have released veteran running back Joe Mixon before the start of the 2026 league year.

Source: Texans released RB Joe Mixon.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 6, 2026

It comes as a largely expected move for the Texans and Mixon headed into this offseason, as the veteran running back had missed all of last season with an undisclosed foot injury, and now clouds his playing status headed into 2026.

Therefore, the Texans decided to cut ties with Mixon after two years and one season on the field, opting to turn in a different direction for their running back room.

Texans Officially Release Joe Mixon

The writing was on the wall for what was bound to happen regarding Mixon's future with the Texans; a fate that became even clearer as soon as Houston decided to trade for David Montgomery from the Detroit Lions earlier in the week in exchange for Juice Scruggs, along with a fourth and a seventh round pick.

As a result of cutting Mixon, the Texans are able to log $8 million in cap savings to free up even more money on the books rolling into free agency next week, which could be allocated towards upgrades on the offensive end, particularly on the offensive line.

Mixon's tenure with the Texans ends after the veteran running back would play 14 regular-season games in Houston throughout 2024 to log 1,014 yards on the ground on 245 carries, along with a combined 12 touchdowns for what was really a productive year running the ball behind C.J. Stroud in his second year pro.

Jan 11, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon (28) reacts after the game against the Los Angeles Chargers in an AFC wild card game at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

But following that successful first season in Houston, things would begin to go downhill pretty quickly.

Mixon would eventually be sidelined for the Texans at the start of offseason training before last season, that led to initial speculation of whether his beginning of his 2025 campaign would be delayed as training camp and preseason moved forward.

But in due time, that injury would then unravel into a long-term absence that lasted the entirety of the 2025 campaign, and could last even longer, depending on how his recovery pans out leading into next season.

When asked about Mixon's injury following the end of the 2025 season, Texans general manager Nick Caserio called the issue a "freak thing" that he had never seen before.

“He didn’t do anything off the field, it wasn’t like he was riding a snowmobile or anything like that,” Caserio said. “I’d say it was more just a medical condition or situation that really didn’t improve as much as everybody hoped. I’m not trying to evade the question but that’s the reality of the situation. He didn’t jump off a building, he wasn’t cliff diving or anything like that, he wasn’t doing anything irresponsible, it was just a freak thing. Honestly, I’ve never seen it.”

Now, the Texans have seemingly gone in another direction from Mixon before getting the bulk of their offseason underway in the coming weeks, clearing the way for David Montgomery and Woody Marks to lead the way in the backfield throughout 2026.

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