Joe Mixon’s NFL career may have come to a crashing end after he missed the entirety of the 2025 season through a mystery injury.
The Houston Texans released the running back in March after he was sidelined all last year with what general manager Nick Caserio called a ‘freak’ foot injury. Details about the issue remain unclear, but previous reports described it as a ‘condition’ rather than a specific injury.
Now, it appears that the 29-year-old may never return to the league amid reported fears that his career is over.
‘I had a source close to Joe tell me recently there’s some hope [of a return],’ KPRC-2 Houston’s Aaron Wilson reported on a livestream this week. ‘Some hope, but I think it’s probably over.’
Wilson later added: ‘He has told some friends, players for the Cincinnati Bengals, where he played before, that he is not going to play football anymore.’
He went on to claim that Mixon has dealt with issues with blood flow to his injured foot, on which he ‘recently’ underwent another surgery.
NFL running back Joe Mixon has reportedly told former teammates that his career is over
The 29-year-old missed the entirety of the 2025 season through a mystery injury
The Houston Texans (pictured head coach DeMeco Ryans) cut Mixon in March
The Texans provided few details on Mixon´s recovery throughout last season after announcing in training camp that he sustained a foot injury away from the facility in the 2025 offseason.
No other details were divulged at the time other than that the Pro Bowler would miss ‘an extended period of time’.
In January, head coach DeMeco Ryans had no further update on Mixon’s condition when asked if he will play next season.
‘I don’t know the answer to that right now,’ Ryans told reporters. ‘No clarity.’
Ryans also refused to shed any further light on the injury that kept the running back on the non-football injury list throughout 2025.
‘He didn’t jump off a building,’ the coach said. ‘He wasn’t doing anything irresponsible. It was a freak thing.’
The Texans reached the divisional round of the playoffs for a third straight season, but their offense took a major hit with Mixon out. He ran for 1,016 yards and 11 touchdowns in his first season with the team in 2024.
With Mixon out, the Texans relied on rookie Woody Marks and Nick Chubb. Marks, a fourth-round pick, led the team with 703 yards rushing and Chubb added 506 yards. The Texans struggled to run the ball in their loss to New England in the playoffs, managing only 48 yards rushing.
Mixon had one year remaining on a three-year, $27 million contract extension he signed after joining the Texans following seven years with the Bengals. By cutting Mixon, the Texans save $8 million in cap space.
