NFL
Ex-Texans RB Joe Mixon Poised for Fresh Start as Chiefs, Steelers, Broncos Monitor Free Agency
published: 03-09-2026
Last updated: 03-09-2026
Cleveland Browns v Cincinnati Bengals by Andy Lyons | Getty Images
Veteran running back Joe Mixon had a lost 2025 season with Houston, never getting on the field after requiring a procedure for a foot condition, but is drawing early free-agent interest with several teams hopeful he can get back to his 2024 Pro-Bowl form.
Mixon and the Texans appeared at odds over the circumstances surrounding the situation with his foot, and a player who was a leader for them on and off the field in his first season with the club never contributed in 2025.
Mixon, 30, was released by the team last week with a “failed physical” designation and his ongoing absence in Houston was the cause of considerable chatter among teams through the season.
Numerous teams have reached out to his camp to get a gauge on where things stand with Mixon, and there is every expectation that he signs with the new team this month when the NFL league year officially opens.
Mixon has proven to be durable throughout his career (last year was an exception), he runs with a violent style coaches love, and he is willing to sacrifice his body in pass protection.
In 2024 Mixon compiled over 1000 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. From 2020-2024 Mixon ranked fourth in the NFL with 1123 carries and was seventh in rushing yards (4497) and tied for seventh in the NFL with 43 rushing touchdowns.
Even at a time when teams have been hesitant to pay for running backs, several playoff teams are looking to add to their running back room and Mixon is attractive to many of them.
Who is interested?
The Chiefs have been going by committee at the running back position in recent years, without a true bellow, and sources said several people in that organization are high on Mixon.
Denver has also been looking for more power and consistency in its running game and Mixon would be a good fit in Sean Payton’s offense. The Steelers saw plenty of Mixon in his prime during his length stint in the AFC North with the Bengals, and with Kenneth Gainwell a free agent league sources indicated Pittsburgh has interest in the running back as well.
One evaluator for a team in the market for running back help also said Detroit could get in the mix. Mixon would be a fit to fill the role that David Montgomery held with the Lions in recent years, complimenting explosive young back Jahmyr Gibbs; Montgomery is being traded to Houston, essentially filling the role Mixon help with the Texans in 2024.
La Canfora has covered over 20 Super Bowls and League Meetings and NFL drafts, building a wide network of sources throughout all aspects of the game. He was an award winning print journalist as well, working at The Detroit Free Press and The Baltimore Sun prior to his first stint at The Washington Post. He has covered sporting events around the world, including two Winter Olympics and all of the 2006 World Cup. He attended his first NFL game in 1978, and would soon kindle what has become a lifelong love and appreciation of the sport. La Canfora is also a professional handicapper, specializing in the NFL, creating a daily sports wagering game show - "Wanna Bet?" He also hosts nationally broadcast NFL radio shows in the US, as well as a daily sports radio show in his hometown of Baltimore, Maryland.