Joe Mixon hasn’t considered holdout over contract extension yet

The contract situation between the Cincinnati Bengals and Joe Mixon isn’t all that interesting — yet.

Mixon is eligible for an extension soon, though the Cincinnati front office’s current focus is understandably on the likes of A.J. Green and the upcoming decision on Andy Dalton.

But it’s not hard to see why Mixon looms close to being at the forefront of a contractual problem for the Bengals. He’s one of, if not the league’s best back and has put up back-to-back 1,100-yard seasons. Doing so this year was rather impressive given the poor state of things around him and the slow start to the season.

If Mixon has talked with his reps about some sort of holdout, he isn’t telling just yet:

Joe Mixon said he hasn’t thought about holding out next year for a contract extension (his runs through 2020), but “the ball is in their court.” He wants to be about the team but at some point “it’s got to be about me.” He will listen to whatever his agent advises. #Bengals

— Laurel Pfahler (@LaurelPfahler) December 30, 2019

Mixon did add this to the mix too:

Joe Mixon, on a potential contract extension this offseason: "At the end of the day, I want to be a Bengal for life."

— Ben Baby (@Ben_Baby) December 30, 2019

At this stage, Mixon wouldn’t say anything different in pretty much any respect.

Down the road, the Bengals will need to come to terms with either paying Mixon like a top back or dealing with a holdout and his eventual departure.

Like it or not, this potential impasse is closer than fans might realize.