Joe Mixon's future uncertain entering 2026 Texans offseason due to 'freak' medical condition

It remains unclear when, or even if, Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon can return to action after he missed the entire 2025 season with a foot injury. General manager Nick Caseiro said Wednesday that Mixon has not been at the team facility in some time. The Texans are unable to make a decision on his future until medical personnel gather more information.

Mixon missed OTAs and minicamp with what was believed to be an ankle injury. He was then feared to miss an extended period of time when the Texans placed him on the non-football injury list on July 23. His transfer to the reserve NFI list ruled him out for the first four games of the season, and Caseiro said after that period that while Mixon was progressing, he still needed at least another month before making a decision on his availability.

Come late November, the Texans effectively closed the door on Mixon suiting up at any point in 2025.

"It was a very unique situation," Caseiro said. "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.

"Probably have an opportunity to kind of see where he is in the offseason relative to next year. But, again, it was as unique a situation and injury as I've been associated with. I don't want to call it a freak thing, but it's just kind of a freak thing. Joe worked really hard, put his best foot forward, but it didn't work out."

The Texans have been coy about Mixon's status from the jump, which Caseiro chalked up to there being a lack of clarity regarding the injury itself. Houston's GM did shed more light on the situation this week, though, referring to the issue as a medical condition.

"He didn't do anything off the field," Caseiro said. "It wasn't like he was riding a snowmobile or anything like that. I'd say it was just more of a medical condition or situation that really didn't improve maybe as much as everybody would have hoped. I'm not trying to evade the question. I think 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 a freak thing. Honestly, I've never seen it, the condition."

A stellar debut season in Houston set Mixon up for what most believed would be a highly productive 2025 campaign. He earned his second career Pro Bowl nod in 2024 after rushing for 1,016 yards and 11 touchdowns and shining in a pair of playoff games. Instead, the Texans leaned on Woody Marks and Nick Chubb, who combined for just five rushing scores.

Mixon, a former second-round pick, remains under contract through 2026 and is set to earn $10.5 million in the third and final year of his deal.