The Texans released Mixon (foot) on Friday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
This move was always coming after Houston traded for David Montgomery earlier in the week. Mixon missed the entirety of the 2025 season recovering from some sort of foot injury that neither the team nor player has discussed much through the media. It's unclear what kind of timeline Mixon is looking at in his recovery and return to the field. The move saves the Texans $8 million in cap space. Mixon will turn 30 years old in July and has lacked big-play ability in recent years. The two-time Pro Bowl selection has 7,428 career rushing yards and 60 touchdowns. His days of being an every-down back are likely over.
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Texans' Joe Mixon: Candidate to be let go
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According to Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Chronicle, the signs point to a potential break between Mixon, who is recovering from a foot injury that sidelined him this past season, and the Texans.
That's a notion echoed by Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston, who indicates that the Texans are expected to ultimately part ways with the running back -- who recently underwent surgery to address his foot issue -- via a failed physical. For his part, GM Nick Caserio describes Mixon's status with the team as "a moving target," while adding "we'll kind of see what the availability is going to be, what the prognosis is for the season and then ultimately try to figure out what makes sense for everybody involved." Per Wilson, releasing Mixon from his contract would save the Texans $8.5 million.
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Texans' Joe Mixon: Recovering from offseason surgery
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Texans general manager Nick Caserio said Tuesday at the NFL Scouting Combine that Mixon (foot/ankle) had surgery this offseason, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.
Mixon missed the entire 2025 season due to a foot/ankle injury that Caserio said in January was a "freak thing" and "as unique a situation" as he has dealt with. Though the running back has one year left on his contract, his status with the team remains uncertain. Caserio also said in January that the Texans' medical staff will need to evaluate Mixon before determining whether he will be able to play in 2026. The news of Mixon undergoing a new offseason procedure adds a further wrinkle to the situation, though Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Chronicle reports that the team would like to have Mixon back if he's healthy. Across 14 regular-season appearances with Houston in 2024, Mixon gained 1,016 yards and 11 touchdowns on 245 carries while adding a 36-309-1 line through the air.
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Texans' Joe Mixon: Injury was a freak issue
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Speaking with the media Wednesday, Texans GM Nick Caserio said Mixon's foot/ankle injury that caused him to miss the entire 2025 season was a "freak thing" and "as unique a situation" as Caserio has seen, Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Chronicle reports.
"He didn't jump off a building," Caserio said Wednesday regarding Mixon and how he suffered the injury. "He wasn't doing anything irresponsible. It was a freak thing." Both Caserio and coach DeMeco Ryans have said this week that Mixon's status for 2026 is uncertain. Mixon has just one year left on his contract and is scheduled to carry a $10 million cap number next season, and the Texans can clear $8 million in cap space by cutting the veteran running back. Expect Houston to further address the running back position this offseason after Woody Marks led the backfield with a pedestrian 196-703-2 rushing line as a 2025 rookie.
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Texans' Joe Mixon: 2026 status uncertain
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Houston head coach DeMeco Ryans said Monday that Mixon's status for 2026 is uncertain due to foot and ankle injuries, Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Chronicle reports. "As of right now, I don't know the answer to that right now," Ryans said when asked about the running back's status.
Mixon missed the entire 2025 season, leaving the Texans without an important weapon in the backfield. Only twice in 19 games (including the postseason) did the team have a 100-yard rusher. Given Mixon's uncertain status for next season, the organization is expected to look in the draft or free agency for further reinforcements. Rookie Woody Marks ended the season as the team's rushing leader and is expected to remain in a significant role regardless of who joins him on the depth chart.
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Texans' Joe Mixon: Will not return this season
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Mixon (foot/ankle) will not return this season, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.
It was reported last month by Ian Rapoport of NFL Network that Mixon wasn't expected to play this season, but the veteran running back somewhat refuted the report, implying that had yet to be determined. Mixon remains on the reserve/non-football injury list. Houston will continue to roll with Woody Marks, Jawhar Jordan and Nick Chubb out of the backfield in Week 18 and the postseason.
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Texans' Joe Mixon: Responds to report
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Mixon (foot/ankle) refuted a report that he is not expected to return this season, Matt Young of the Houston Chronicle reports.
NFL.com's Ian Rapoport reported that Mixon is not expected to return this season, prompting the running back to clap back. "Now, I get everyone's looking for splash news & clickbait... but I'm just curious, Ian how do you know more about me than me?," Mixon responded. The report adds that two sources told the Houston Chronicle that the team holds out hope the running back's foot responds to treatment, but added he was not expected to play in 2025. Mixon has been on the reserve/non-football injury list all season, and in his ongoing absence, Woody Marks (115 carries) and Nick Chubb (105 carries) have handled the bulk of the rushing duties for the 6-5 Texans.
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Texans' Joe Mixon: Status for 2025 in limbo
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Texans general manager Nick Caserio suggested Tuesday that Mixon's (foot/ankle) availability for the 2025 season hasn't yet been determined, but Houston expects to have more clarity on that front in the next three or four weeks, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.
Caserio's comments during his press conference mark the first time that a member of the Houston brass has addressed Mixon's status since the start of the regular season. The veteran running back was placed on the non-football injury list ahead of training camp after getting hurt during an individual workout in the spring, and the Texans have been non-committal on a timeline for his return ever since. Given that the Texans aren't yet hinting that Mixon will even resume practicing in the near future, the 29-year-old doesn't look like he's on track to be an option in the Houston backfield until late in the season, if at all. The Texans are likely to continue to lean on a timeshare of Nick Chubb and rookie Woody Marks at running back for the foreseeable future.
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Texans' Joe Mixon: Not ready to return
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Mixon (foot) is not ready to be activated off the reserve/non-football injury list this week, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.
The veteran back can be activated as soon as Week 5, but Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans was asked twice during Monday's session with reporters and declined to provide any kind of estimated return date for Mixon, per Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Chronicle. While there's no official word, it doesn't appear he is close to returning. In the meantime, Woody Marks, fresh off a breakout performance in Week 4, and Nick Chubb will continue to share the bulk of the backfield work.
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Texans' Joe Mixon: Not close to returning
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Coach DeMeco Ryans said Monday that Mixon (foot) is not ready to return to the field at this time, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.
Mixon is on the reserve/non-football injury list and is eligible to begin practicing this week, but Ryans suggested that's not going to happen. Sources indicate it will be much longer before Mixon returns to the field and believe there's a chance the running back won't play this season. Woody Marks had a breakout performance against the Titans in Week 4 and appears poised to take more control of the backfield alongside Nick Chubb moving forward.
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Texans' Joe Mixon: GM noncommittal on return in 2025
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Texans general manager Nick Caserio declined to answer in the affirmative when asked Wednesday whether Mixon (foot/ankle) will suit up this season, DJ Bien-Aime of ESPN reports.
Mixon is officially out the first four games of the year after having been placed on the Reserve/Non-Football Injury list Tuesday, but when prompted Wednesday for more clarity about a timetable for his potential return to the field, all Caserio said was that the team will "take it one day at a time," and that players on IR or the NFI lists will be evaluated "after four weeks and see where they are in their progression and then make a determination." Mixon has been sidelined throughout spring activities, training camp and the preseason, leaving Nick Chubb, Dameon Pierce, Woody Marks and Dare Ogunbowale as Houston's top backfield options to open the regular season.
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Texans' Joe Mixon: Officially out for first four games
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The Texans placed Mixon (foot/ankle) on the Reserve/Non-Football Injury list Tuesday, ruling him out for the first four games of the season.
The move has been expected for at least a few days, with Mixon's recovery timeline still very uncertain. Nick Chubb is the favorite to start in Mixon's place against the Rams in Week 1, although Dameon Pierce and Woody Marks are also in the mix for touches.
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Texans' Joe Mixon: Will miss at least four games
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Mixon (foot/ankle) is slated to begin the season on reserve/non-football injury list.
Mixon, who currently is on the active/non-football injury list due to foot and ankle issues, officially will land on reserve/NFI on Tuesday afternoon, a move that will result in the running back missing at least the first four games of the regular season. In Mixon's looming absence, Nick Chubb, Dameon Pierce, Dare Ogunbowale and Woody Marks are the team's top available backfield options ahead of Week 1.
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Texans' Joe Mixon: Placed on NFI list
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The Texans placed Mixon (ankle) on the active/non-football injury list for the start of training camp, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.
Mixon suffered multiple ankle injuries last season, including one that cost him Weeks 3-5, but the current issue is from something that happened during his individual offseason training -- thus the non-football injury designation. He missed spring practices, with reports at the time suggesting he'd likely be ready for training camp. Recent updates imply the Texans still aren't overly concerned and plan to ease Mixon into training camp, with his absence in the meantime potentially freeing up first-team reps for Nick Chubb, Dameon Pierce, Woody Marks and Dare Ogunbowale.
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Texans' Joe Mixon: Limited reps early in camp
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Mixon, who is progressing well in his recovery from an ankle injury, is likely to be eased back into the mix in training camp, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.
Mixon sported a walking boot this spring after getting hurt during individual offseason training, but since then the running back has regained his mobility while ramping up his workouts. Though he could be limited to a degree early on in training camp, when 100 percent healthy he's in line to maintain his status as the top option in a Houston backfield that added Nick Chubb this offseason and returns Dameon Pierce.
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Texans' Joe Mixon: On track for training camp
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Mixon, who has been dealing with what Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston describes as foot-ankle issues, is expected to be ready for training camp, which opens July 23.
Wilson noted that there's not cause for concern in terms of the training-camp/regular-season status of the Texans' top running back, who missed time this offseason but has made strides since then. Once Mixon returns to the practice field, he'll reclaim his role atop a backfield depth chart that also includes Nick Chubb, who the team signed to a one-year contract last month, as well as Dameon Pierce, 2025 fourth-rounder Woody Marks and Dare Ogunbowale. In 14 regular-season games with Houston in 2024, Mixon carried 245 times for 1,016 yards and 11 TDs to go along with a 36/309/1 receiving line. Looking ahead, the 28-year-old appears poised to maintain steady usage in 2025, with the presence of Chubb -- health permitting -- providing Mixon with a viable veteran complement to spell his workload.
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Texans' Joe Mixon: Missing OTAs with minor injury
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Mixon (lower body) is not participating in voluntary team activities Friday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.
Mixon has sported a walking boot recently due to an injury Wilson's sources describe as minor, though head coach DeMeco Ryans has yet to comment on the starting running back's status. All expectations remain that Mixon will be a full-go for the start of training camp in late July, if not mandatory minicamp in June. Mixon's inaugural season with Houston saw him dominate backfield reps, compiling 245 carries for 1,016 yards (4.1 YPC) and eight scores across 14 regular-season appearances while adding 36 grabs for 309 yards (on 52 targets) and another score. While Mixon faded in terms of efficiency down the stretch of the regular season, he managed a surge during the Texans' two playoff contests, combining for 43 carries for 194 yards and two scores. Mixon remains secure in a workhorse role entering his age-29 season, with Dameon Pierce and Woody Marks set to compete for No. 2 reps.
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Texans' Joe Mixon: Hits century mark in playoff exit
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Mixon carried the ball 18 times for 88 yards and a touchdown and caught two of three targets for 12 yards in Saturday's 23-14 divisional-round loss to Kansas City.
The running back broke free for a 13-yard TD scamper in the third quarter that should have tied the game at 13-13, but Ka'imi Fairbairn missed the extra point. Mixon reached the century mark in scrimmage yards and got into the end zone in both of Houston's playoff games this season, an emphatic end to his first campaign with the Texans that saw him churn out 1,325 combined yards and 12 total TDs over 14 regular-season contests. Mixon has two years and $15 million left on the contract he signed in March 2024, and there's little reason to think the team will be looking to get out from under the deal this offseason.
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Texans' Joe Mixon: Solid chance to face Chiefs
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Mixon (ankle), who officially is listed as questionable for Saturday's divisional-round contest against the Chiefs, has a "very, very real chance to play," Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Per Rapoport, the ankle injury that caused Mixon to practice in a limited fashion Wednesday and miss Thursday's session isn't particularly serious, and he can be considered on track to play Saturday barring any unforeseen setbacks. Official word on the status of the Texans' top backfield option will be revealed no later than 90 minutes prior to Saturday's 4:30 p.m. ET kickoff. Houston has backups Dameon Pierce and Dare Ogunbowale on hand in the event that Mixon is limited or unavailable due to his ankle issue.
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Texans' Joe Mixon: Added to injury report
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Mixon was a limited participant in practice Wednesday due to an ankle injury.
Mixon wasn't listed on Houston's injury report Tuesday, so his addition to it a day later makes his status worth monitoring ahead of Saturday's divisional-round game against the Chiefs. Thursday's injury report will reveal whether the running back carries an injury designation into the weekend or is fully cleared to face Kansas City.
