The Cincinnati Bengals always had at least one major move left this summer before cooling off and getting to the regular season.
After a wild offseason of big expenditures, it was clear the team would center its focus on finalizing an extension for star running back Joe Mixon. Duke Tobin and the entire front office and coaching staff never hid that from fans.
Tuesday, the speculation became reality with the two sides agreeing to a four-year extension worth $48 million and Mixon quickly issued a statement after the news went public.
As is often the case with these extensions for players still on rookie contracts, Mixon’s overall cap hit in 2020 doesn’t change much. As of now after the extension, the Bengals have roughly $13.175 million in free cap space.
It’s 2021 where the cap ramifications come into play, as Mixon leaps into the top five in cap hits for the team, checking in at $10.7 million. As of now, the Bengals have roughly $14.6 million in free cap for 2021. Keep in mind we still don’t know how future caps could be impacted by league revenue losses with fans largely unable to attend games.
Either way, the Bengals were always going to iron this one out, especially while benefitting from having a rookie quarterback contract on the books. And while the cap hit is notable, it’s not overly massive or restricting future moves.
