Former Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon’s extended absence from the gridiron has left fans wondering if the running back has already played his final down in the NFL. He got sidelined for the entire 2025 season because of a foot injury. We last saw him on the field during the 2024 campaign. Now, at just 29 years of age, he is apparently looking forward to hanging up his cleats, as shared by NFL Insider Aaron Wilson.

“Has Joe Mixon retired? No, he has not filed his retirement papers,” Wilson revealed through his YouTube channel. “He has told former teammates from the Bengals that his career is over. I had a source close to Joe tell me recently there’s some hope. But I think it’s probably over.

“The good news is that Joe is healthier. He had a surgery. I believe that surgery helped this offseason as far as just normal life kind of stuff. I wish Joe the best. A really unfortunate situation.”

The story began when Mixon suffered a mysterious foot injury during the 2025 offseason. Wilson clarified that the running back did not shoot himself in the foot, dismissing all the rumors. Not much is known about the condition till now. However, the condition put him on the reserve/non-football injury list and wiped out his entire season.

Despite seeking various remedies and undergoing surgery to fix things, Mixon’s condition seemingly hasn’t improved enough to pull him back into the field. According to Wilson’s report, he’s getting back to his daily activities. By March 2026, the Houston Texans had to officially release him. At this point, any timeline for a potential comeback is purely speculative.

If this is indeed the end of the road, Mixon leaves behind a highly productive NFL legacy.

He spent eight seasons in the league and started 102 games (total 111 games played). Through these years, he rushed for 7,428 yards and scored 60 touchdowns. He also received 319 passes for 2,448 yards to score 14 touchdowns. But did his absence impact the Texans at all?

Impact of Joe Mixon’s situation on the Texans

Addressing the unusual circumstances surrounding his star player’s absence, Texans general manager Nick Caserio admitted it was a uniquely challenging situation for everyone involved. Caserio noted that there was a lack of clarity regarding the injury from the start of the year. He shared that even though Mixon worked hard, he couldn’t work back to the field.

“It was a very unique situation,” Caserio said in January. “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 and came to fruition.”

Later, even coach DeMeco Ryans acknowledged the impact that the Texans had after losing the lead back.

“When you have your best players, you’re going to be a better team,” the head coach said in January. “Joe, he’s a really great running back for us, and not having him, yes, of course, it affected our running game. Joe is one of the top running backs in this league. That affected us.”

While Joe Mixon’s official NFL status remains technically open, the signs point heavily toward an unfortunate and premature end to a stellar career. If the 29-year-old does officially hang up his cleats, fans will certainly remember him as one of the premier offensive weapons of his era.