Texans Release Joe Mixon After Foot Injury

The Houston Texans released veteran running back Joe Mixon on Friday, parting ways with the two-time Pro Bowl player after he missed the entire 2025 season due to a lingering foot injury sustained in the offseason. The move clears approximately $8 million in salary cap space for the 2026 season and follows the team's acquisition of David Montgomery from the Detroit Lions earlier in the week.

Mixon, who turns 30 this summer, had one year remaining on a three-year, $27 million contract extension he signed with Houston in March 2024, shortly after his trade from the Cincinnati Bengals. The Texans provided limited details about the injury throughout last season, describing it as a medical condition that occurred away from team facilities. General manager Nick Caserio addressed the situation during an end-of-season press conference on January 21, calling it a "freak thing" unrelated to any reckless activity.

"It wasn't like he was riding a snowmobile or anything like that," Caserio said. "It was more of a medical condition or situation that never really didn't improve maybe as much as everybody would have hoped. ... He wasn't doing anything irresponsible. It was just a freak thing."