Joe Mixon

BIOGRAPHY

Joe Mixon was born on July 24th, 1996 in San Francisco, California. He is a running back in the NFL.

Mixon attended Freedom High School in Oakley, California. where he played football and basketball for the Falcons. He was a three-year starter at running back for the Freedom High School Falcons football team. He rushed for 1,134 yards and 13 touchdowns as a sophomore on 171 carries. In his junior year, he rushed for 1,443 yards and 21 touchdowns on 201 carries. In his final year, he rushed for 1,704 yards and 23 touchdowns on 226 carries. Mixon played in 16 basketball games for the Falcons. He had a 12.2 PPG average and a free throw percentage of 57% and made 79 field goals. His team went 22-2 overall and 10-0 in league play that season.

Mixon attended and played college football for the University of Oklahoma from 2014–2016. After redshirting, During the 2015 regular season, he ran for 749 yards on 110 carries, averaging 6.8 yards. He rushed for seven touchdowns and set his career-long carry at 66 yards. He also recorded 25 receptions for 345 yards, averaging 13.8 yards per reception, and four touchdowns. In his second season playing, Mixon ran for 1,274 yards on 187 carries with 10 touchdowns and 37 receptions for 538 yards and 5 touchdowns.

After the 2016 season, Mixon decided to forgo his remaining two years of eligibility and enter the 2017 NFL Draft. Mixon was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the second round (48th overall) of the 2017 NFL Draft.On September 10, 2017, Mixon made his NFL debut in a 20–0 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. He had eight rushes for nine yards and three receptions for 15 yards. In Week 3, against the Green Bay Packers, his role in the offense expanded with 18 carries for 62 yards. In Week 5, against the Buffalo Bills, he recorded his first career rushing touchdown, a five-yard rush in the fourth quarter. In Week 8, against the Indianapolis Colts, he recorded over 100 scrimmage yards (18 rushing and 91 receiving) for the first time in his career, 67 coming on a long run-after-catch play in the second quarter. After three disappointing weeks of 31 rushing yards against the Jacksonville Jaguars, 37 rushing yards against the Tennessee Titans, and 49 rushing yards against the Denver Broncos, averaging just 2.79 yards per carry over the time span but recording two touchdowns, Mixon led the NFL in Week 12 with a career-best 114 rushing yards against Cleveland, along with a touchdown and 51 yards receiving. He closed out his rookie season with 96 rushing yards against the Baltimore Ravens in the 31–27 victory. Overall, in his rookie season, Mixon finished with 626 rushing yards, four rushing touchdowns, 30 receptions, and 287 receiving yards.

In the 2018 season opener against the Indianapolis Colts, Mixon started the season off with 95 rushing yards, a rushing touchdown, and five receptions for 54 yards in the 34–23 victory. In the next game against the Baltimore Ravens, he had to leave the game multiple times due to a knee injury. He returned to action in Week 5 against the Miami Dolphins with 93 rushing yards, 22 receiving yards, and a receiving touchdown in the 27–17 victory. In Week 8, against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he had 123 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns in the 37–34 victory for his second career multi-touchdown game. On December 9, Mixon racked up 111 yards and a score on the ground against the Los Angeles Chargers. In Week 15 against the Oakland Raiders, Mixon rushed for 129 yards and two touchdowns in a 30-16 win. This was the third multi-touchdown game of Mixon's career. He finished the season leading the AFC in rushing yards with 1,168.

In his 2019 season, he finished with 1,137 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns to go along with 35 receptions for 287 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns.On September 1, 2020, Mixon signed a four-year, $48 million contract extension with the Bengals through the 2024 season. In Week 4, against the Jacksonville Jaguars, he had 25 carries for 151 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns to go along with six receptions for 30 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown during the 33–25 win. Mixon was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance in Week 4. In Week 6, he suffered a foot injury and missed the next three games before being placed on injured reserve on November 21, 2020.

In the 2022 season, Mixon finished with 210 carries for 814 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns to go along with 60 receptions for 441 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns in 14 games and starts. In the Divisional Round against the Buffalo Bills, he had 20 carries for 105 yards and a touchdown in the 27–10 victory.

Mixon was traded to the Houston Texans during the 2024 offseason.