All signs seem to point at the Cincinnati Bengals and Joe Mixon working out an extension this summer.
While the Bengals still have a looming July 15 deadline hanging over the A.J. Green situation, director of player personnel Duke Tobin made it pretty clear with recent comments that an extension with Mixon is a priority.
Now there’s more traction in this area thanks to a report from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler: “Will be a big few months for RBs from ‘17 draft class trying to bolster position. Vikings’ Dalvin Cook and Bengals’ Joe Mixon have had productive talks with their teams about new deals, I’m told, though nothing is close at this time.”
Though the needle might not move on a Mixon extension until that July 15 deadline passes, it’s clear the Bengals have maneuvered in such a way this offseason as to keep a long-term deal in mind for their star back.
With Mixon, it has always come down to how much he’ll demand. A prior report has already said the Bengals are ready for a holdout if one arises. The running back market has wildly fluctuated and seemingly reset over the last two seasons, with very top names like Christian McCaffrey getting around $15 million a year while names like Melvin Gordon have settled on $8 million per year.
If the Bengals and Mixon can find a happy medium between those two values it’s hard to imagine a holdout even happens at this point.
