Former Sooners RB gets exactly what he asked for as new NFL league year approaches

Joe Mixon had to see that his days in Houston were numbered.

Less than a week after the Texans acquired David Montgomery in a trade for the Lions, they informed Mixon that he would be released when the new league year starts on March 11. Mixon was traded to Houston in 2024 and signed a three-year, $27 million contract with the Texans. He made the Pro Bowl in his first season, rushing for 1,016 yards and 11 touchdowns, but he did not play last season after suffering a foot injury during the offseason.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that Mixon asked for his release Thursday and will enter free agency for the first time in his nine-year career. He spent his first seven seasons with the Bengals, making the Pro Bowl in 2021 and rushing for over 1,000 yards four times. He had his career year in 2021, rushing for 1,205 yards and 13 touchdowns — both remain career highs.

Former Sooner Joe Mixon will be released by Texans

Mixon was part of the Sooners' 2014 recruiting class. He was the top running back prospect in the country and chose Oklahoma over UCLA, Wisconsin, Alabama and a host of others. His three years in Norman included many highs on the field and a lot of controversy off of it. Mixon rushed for over 2,000 yards and had 894 receiving yards in two seasons with the Sooners. His redshirt sophomore year of 1,816 total yards (1,274 rushing, 538 receiving and 15 total touchdowns) should've gotten him at least in the top10 of the Heisman Trophy voting.

The controversy, however, put a stain on Sooner athletics and damaged the reputation of Bob Stoops. Mixon was suspended for the 2014 season after punching a female student at a restaurant over the summer. The video from the incident wasn't made public until December 2016 and the violent nature of the altercation led to major criticism of the way the Sooners handled it and what they originally knew. Stoops said that Mixon would've been dismissed had the incident happened later, but at the time he thought it was the right punishment. Despite the criticism, Stoops let Mixon play in the 2017 Sugar Bowl, a 35-19 Sooners win over Auburn. Stoops decided to retire before the 2017 season. 

The video likely kept Mixon out of the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft. He was selected by the Bengals with the 48th overall pick and has 7,428 rushing yards and 2,448 receiving yards with 74 touchdowns. Mixon's ability as a back and a receiver out of the backfield will likely give him plenty of value on the open market if he can show that he's healthy.