Mixon's mysterious "medical condition" sidelined him all season. The Texans face a critical decision regarding his future and potential $8 million contract implications.
Heading into training camp, one of the biggest mysteries surrounding the Houston Texans was the health of veteran running back Joe Mixon, who was set to play a vital role in the new offensive installation from first-year coordinator Nick Caley, who replaced Bobby Slowik after two seasons.
Mixon, who was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2024 after helping the Texans win the AFC South division and advance to the divisional round of the playoffs following a Wild Card win over the Los Angeles Chargers, rushed for 1,016 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Many were not expecting to see Mixon during OTAs and the voluntary minicamp, given his over 9 years of NFL service with the Texans and Cincinnati Bengals.
Still, the rumblings started when he was not in mandatory minicamp and grew even louder when General Manager Nick Caserio announced before training camp that Mixon would be placed on the non-football injury-related list.
The question every media member wanted to know was what happened and how long Mixon would be out.
Was the injury bad enough for him to miss the season opener?
When did the organization find out, and if it was before the NFL Draft, is that the reason for taking Woody Marks and eventually getting former Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb to sign?
So many questions needed to be answered, and never was as throughout camp head coach DeMeco Ryans responded with, “Joe [Mixon] was doing well in his rehabilitation, but we do not have a timetable on his return.”
Well, the answer became more evident with no signs of Mixon around NRG Stadium for the entire season. The only proof of life was his presence on “X” (formerly known as Twitter), commenting on things during game days.
On Wednesday, Caserio offered insight into what happened with Mixon but didn’t go into specifics, telling the media in attendance that Mixon was dealing with a “medical condition” that never improved as he continued to try to work through it for the entire season.
“He didn’t do anything off the field,” said Caserio. “It wasn’t like he was riding a snowmobile. It was more of a medical condition or situation that just never. It really didn’t improve, maybe as much as everybody would’ve hoped.
“I think that’s the reality of the question. He didn’t jump off a building; he wasn’t cliff diving. He wasn’t doing anything irresponsible. It was a freak thing. Honestly, I’ve never seen it, the condition.”
Given his absences, the organization must decide whether to retain him once he is fully healthy or cut their losses, which could total $8 million in non-guaranteed salary in 2026. The Texans honored their part of the contract by continuing to pay Mixon ($7 million) even though his contract could have been voided due to a non-football-related injury.
“It’s honestly hard to answer that right now because we haven’t seen him in a little bit,” said Caserio about Mixon’s absence during his end-of-season press conference. “At some point, we’ll see him, get a better idea, maybe do some follow-up examinations, and get more information. Once we have more information, I think we’ll be able to make a better assessment.”
Assuming Mixon never returns, it leaves the Texans in a very peculiar position with the 2026 NFL Draft happening in April.
Houston has many immediate needs on the offensive side of the ball, including interior offensive linemen, tight ends, and running backs, with only Woody Marks and second-year player Jawhar Jordan under contract.
Would the Texans draft a running back early in the draft to help Marks or do they fill the void through the free agent market?
Until those questions are answered, we will be left to try to solve the mystery of “The Curious Case of Joe Mixon.”