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          Joe Mixon restructures deal to stay with Cincinnati Bengals

          • Ben Baby, ESPN Staff WriterJul 15, 2023, 12:19 AM
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              Ben Baby covers the Cincinnati Bengals for ESPN. He joined the company in July 2019. Prior to ESPN, he worked for various newspapers in Texas, most recently at The Dallas Morning News where he covered college sports. He provides daily coverage of the Bengals for ESPN.com, while making appearances on SportsCenter, ESPN's NFL shows and ESPN Radio programs. A native of Grapevine, Texas, he graduated from the University of North Texas with a bachelor's degree in journalism. He is an adjunct journalism professor at Southern Methodist University and a member of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA).
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          CINCINNATI -- The Bengals are keeping starting running back Joe Mixon.

          On Friday night, the Bengals agreed to restructure Mixon's contract to keep him for the upcoming season, his agent, Peter Schaeffer, told ESPN's Adam Schefter. Mixon had a $9.4 million nonguaranteed base salary for this season and represented a $12.8 million hit against the salary cap.

          The six-year veteran has spent the entirety of his NFL career with the Bengals. In 14 games last season, Mixon rushed for 814 yards and seven touchdowns. He missed two games while he recovered from a concussion. Still, Mixon's numbers dropped from what they were during his Pro Bowl season in 2021, when he had a career-high 1,205 rushing yards.

          While the production dipped, Mixon's cap charge for 2023 created uncertainty regarding his future with the team. At the NFL scouting combine in February, de facto general manager Duke Tobin said it was unclear whether Mixon was going to return. But after the draft in April, when the Bengals didn't take a running back until they selected Illinois' Chase Brown in the fifth round, Mixon's status with Cincinnati seemed a bit more solid.

          "His future is here with the team," Taylor said after the Bengals drafted Brown. "I like Joe Mixon."

          Throughout his four-year tenure with the Bengals, Taylor expressed his support for Mixon, the former Oklahoma standout the team drafted in 2017.

          Mixon did not answer any questions from reporters during the Bengals' offseason workouts but expressed his excitement to continue with the team.

          "Year 7, back at it," Mixon said April 17 in a brief statement before he left the locker room.

          Mixon was with the team during voluntary and mandatory workouts while he awaits the settlement of his legal situation. Mixon is facing a misdemeanor aggravated menacing charge that is set for trial Aug. 14, during Cincinnati's training camp. According to police records obtained by ESPN, Mixon allegedly pointed a gun at a woman Jan. 21 in a road rage incident and threatened to shoot her.

          Cincinnati police said the incident took place 24 hours before the Bengals played the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round of the AFC playoffs. Mixon has pleaded not guilty to the charge.