Joe Mixon and the Cincinnati Bengals weren’t going to split.
The badly-kept secret was finalized Tuesday when word broke Mixon and the team had agreed to a four-year extension that makes the star running back one of the highest-paid players at his position.
And Mixon quickly issued a statement about his love for the city and the team.
As it turns out, the Bengals and Mixon’s rep, Peter Schaffer, had been talking about doing an extension for eight months. According to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com, they linked up at the Senior Bowl in January and went from there, though football hiccups like the status of A.J. Green and the coronavirus pandemic slowed things.
But Schaffer made it clear Mixon always had one objective — staying with the Bengals, as he told Hobson:
“He loves it there. Joe’s all about family and ever since he was drafted they’ve made him feel like family. That’s matters to him. Joe can’t tell me the name of a club in Cincinnati. Probably the only restaurant he can name in Cincinnati is Pappadeaux’s. He really is a homebody. He just likes to spend time with his family.”
The fact Mixon chose to announce the big move by sharing a photo of him with Bengals executive vice president Katie Blackburn, vice president for player personnel Paul Brown and Elizabeth Blackburn, director of strategy and engagement, says it all:
— ⚡️Primetime!!!⚡️ (@Joe_MainMixon) September 1, 2020
Some hurdles made this one take a little longer than expected, but Mixon and the team got it done and can forge ahead as the new era continues.
