Joe

Mixon

He was released with a non-football injury designation. All the Texans did in the last calendar year when asked about whether Mixon would play in 2025 or 2026 is answer questions with the preface of “we’re not trying to be evasive, but...” So, we’re not trying to be evasive, but we genuinely are not sure if Mixon will play again. He turns 30 in July and is now a year removed from what was a pretty stellar 2024 campaign with the Texans. He surely has the talent to resurface somewhere, but is he healthy? And if not, will he ever be?

Just days after it was reported that Montgomery wanted out of Detroit — a report he refuted — the veteran running back is now on his way to Houston. The soon-to-be 29-year-old will presumably take over as the Texans’ RB1 this season with Joe Mixon likely on the way out, and Woody Marks an early candidate to handle more of a passing-downs role. Montgomery rushed 343 times for 1,491 yards and 20 touchdowns in his final two seasons in Detroit while catching another 60 passes for 533 scoreless yards. Barring an extension, Montgomery will enter 2026 with two years left on his contract with a chance to earn another deal in 2028. In addition to Scruggs, the Texans also sent a 2026 fourth-round pick and a 2027 seventh-round pick to the Lions.

Nick Caserio said earlier today that he “thinks” Mixon had a surgery this offseason and that he was “not trying to be evasive.” We’re earnestly surprised Mixon is still on the roster at this point, and the fact that the Texans keep defending him and pointing at the idea of him getting back to full health makes it feel like they’re taking this a lot more seriously than anyone on the outside is. We defer to Wilson’s sources here, who also add that the Texans will “explore” the “high-end free agent running back market.”

Mixon reportedly underwent some procedures on his foot on his own and did not run it by the team’s medical staff last offseason. There were seemingly complications and he did not suit up for the 2025 season. The team never gave a clear answer as to what was going on with Mixon’s foot. Caserio saying they haven’t seen Mixon in a while might mean they know just as little as we do. Even if Mixon can play in 2026, we don’t expect that to happen in Houston. The Texans can cut him for $8 million in cap savings this offseason. We fully expect them to do so.

Ryans continues to downplay any conversation surrounding Mixon, who missed all of the 2025 season with a foot injury. It was reported in late December that some of Mixon’s issues stemmed from some procedures he got “on his own, away from the Texans,” which could complicate his future with the team and the contract he signed that will keep him with the team through 2026. It’s impossible to say where things truly stand with Mixon and the Texans right now after Ryans and the team spent a full season avoiding the topic, but it seems unlikely he would return to the team next season given how things have played out since Mixon was mysteriously injured last offseason.

Per Wilson, Mixon “got some procedures on his own, away from the Texans, not from the Texans medical personnel, and it apparently affected the foot, the blood flow, and progress turned into a stall.” The major takeaway is Wilson saying that “the reason there’s so much mystery about this is because Joe Mixon prefers it that way ... there was electromagnetic therapy that was done to try to reduce inflammation in the foot.” The easy outside assumption has been that the Texans will simply release Mixon after the season. It would be interesting to see if there were grievances if they did decide to toll his contract — the Texans did pay Mixon his full salary this year rather than coming after it. This update at least opens the door that Mixon could return to the Texans in 2026. Wilson repeated that Mixon will not return in the 2025 season, including the playoffs.

Mixon will remain on the PUP list for the remainder of the season. For what it’s worth, Mixon responded on X: The Everything App by asking “Ian how do you know more about me than me?” with a definitely-not-mad thinkingface emoji. The veteran back popped up with a mysterious foot injury during the offseason that landed him in a walking boot. Reports indicated that he would be back quickly, but that never materialized and his hypothetical return date was kicked down the road time and time again. Texans GM Nick Caserio continued to give non-answers on Mixon’s stats throughout the season, foreshadowing this outcome. Mixon is under contract for one more year, but the Texans can save $8.5 million by cutting him in the offseason. That seems like an inevitability after a lost season for the 29-year-old. Woody Marks will lead the backfield going forward while Nick Chubb will be in the mix as a backup.

Of course, he doesn’t. Ryans hasn’t wanted to discuss Mixon or his mysterious foot injury since the team opened training camp, and doesn’t have anything to discuss after the team’s Week 8 win over the 49ers. GM Nick Caserio said earlier this month that Mixon is “making progress” in his rehab but declined to put a timetable on when we might see the veteran running back, leaving us to believe we won’t be seeing him any time soon.

Caserio declined to put a timetable on a potential return for Mixon, but it sounds like he at least has a chance to play at some point this year. Mixon popped up with a mysterious foot injury early in the offseason, but beat reporters insisted it was a minor issue, likely hearing that from Mixon’s camp. Training camp came and went and Mixon never took the field once. The team then put him on the NFI list and updates on his status have been few and far between. The fact that he hasn’t been ruled out for the year yet is at least a modestly positive sign, though it’s unlikely he has any impact on the fantasy landscape in 2025. Woody Marks and Nick Chubb will continue to split the backfield for the foreseeable future.

“And if he was, someone would tell me,” Alexander concludes. It amazes us that Mixon has somehow gone off the grid enough to not have a realistic report on his ankle/foot injury at any point in the last three months, but here we are. Mixon does not look to be a long-term threat to Woody Marks consolidating the backfield in 2025. Mixon is due a $10.5 million cap hit in 2026 and may be a restructure or release candidate coming off a lost year and entering his age-30 season.