Familial feelings helped Bengals ink Joe Mixon to new contract

The Bengals, by some standards in the NFL, made a mistake giving a running back a second contract. Many of the large extensions or deals following a running back’s rookie deal either never get done and result in hold outs or give teams a quick out after a season or two.

This one feels different. This doesn’t feel like a Todd Gurley in LA situation.

While we don’t know the details of Mixon’s deal, we do know the Bengals, a team not known for their spending habits, have made him one of the highest-paid backs in the NFL and the highest-paid back in franchise history.

He will earn about $50 million over the next five years if both sides continue on good terms.

That said, Mixon made one thing clear in the negotiations.

That thing is the running back that’s been snubbed for multiple Pro Bowls wanted to stay in Cincinnati, and he made sure agent Peter Schaffer understood that. Why would a player that may have a market in Miami or Los Angeles want to stay in the Queen City?

It has less to do with the nightlife of the city and more to do about his treatment from the team’s executives. Cincinnati has made Mixon feel like family, and he’s quickly become a fan favorite.

“He loves it there. Joe’s all about family and ever since he was drafted they’ve made him feel like family. That’s matters to him. Joe can’t tell me the name of a club in Cincinnati. Probably the only restaurant he can name in Cincinnati is Pappadeaux’s. He really is a homebody. He just likes to spend time with his family,” Schaffer told Bengals.com’s Geoff Hobson.

Mixon also went on Twitter after the deal was finalized and thanked those that made his dream a reality.

Mixon’s potential is still untapped. If the Bengals can fix their offensive line woes, the Bengals will have one of the league’s best offenses. Better yet, with Mixon’s deal, Joe Burrow will have a high-caliber weapon for his entire rookie deal.

Hopefully.