Houston Texans Likely To Part Ways With Offensive Star As Difficult Decisions Must Be Made

The Houston Texans are evaluating their books for the 2026 season, and, like the other 31 teams in the NFL, some tough decisions will have to be made. Every offseason, franchises face the decision to cut a player who didn't perform well the prior year or who has been dealing with injuries. This player typically saves the organization some cap space for the next season, and in situations like these, the players being cut are referred to as "cap casualties". 

It is usually the right move to move on from these players, but the players might still have some gas left in the tank. It might not be worth keeping the player on the large contract they may have signed a few years prior, which could make them valuable to another franchise once they are released. Think of wide receiver Cooper Kupp, for instance. The Los Angeles Rams released him as he was getting older, was dealing with injuries, and became less productive on the field. The Seattle Seahawks took him in and he played a major role in the team winning Super Bowl LX.

The Athletic recently published a piece discussing the potential "cap casualty" for each team across the NFL, and for Houston, it was running back Joe Mixon. National NFL writer Mike Jones made this suggestion, "There’s a good deal of uncertainty hovering over Mixon, who missed all of last season with a foot injury that general manager Nick Caserio has classified as a 'freak' injury. The Texans haven’t offered a lot of clarity on Mixon’s availability, although Caserio says that the 29-year-old is working hard to return. Given the uncertainty, it’s believed that Mixon, who would count roughly $8.5 million against the cap, would be a prime candidate to be released as a cost-saving measure."

Mixon missed the entire 2025 season, and there was a ton of mystery surrounding the running back's status throughout the year as fans wondered exactly what happened to him. No details were ever provided outside of the fact that he had suffered an injury to his foot. His status being up in the air, paired with his contract situation, makes his a decent cut candidate.

This is unfortunate for the Texans, as Mixon had a great year in 2024, and running back is a position the Texans could really use some help at. Cutting the veteran could save the organization roughly $16 million over the next two years, and that justifies attacking the position through the draft or free agency rather than keeping Mixon around.