Duke Tobin admits he doesn’t know if Joe Mixon remains with the Bengals

Will Joe Mixon be back with the Cincinnati Bengals when the 2023 season kicks off?

There’s been heavy speculation as to what the Bengals could/should do with their top tailback, who is being overpaid with his current deal based on his production and the overall value of running backs in today’s NFL, especially ones who don’t pass block well.

But to this point, it’s all been speculation...until today.

During Tuesday’s media sessions at the NFL Combine, Bengals GM Duke Tobin took the podium, and one of the first things he discussed was the status of Mixon.

In a bit of unexpected honesty, Tobin admitted he doesn’t know what the future holds for Mixon in Cincinnati.

“Joe (Mixon) has been a vital part of our team. He’s been a successful part of our team. Again, I’m not going to predict the offseason because I don’t have the answers,” Tobin said. “In the words of the great Kevin Malone, ‘I don’t know.’ We’ll see.”

At this point, it’s very hard to see Mixon being back next season at his current deal, which carries a cap hit of just under $13 million next season and just over that mark in 2024. There’s always the potential for both sides to agree on a restructured deal that’s essentially a pay cut, but if that doesn’t happen, don’t expect Mixon to be in Cincinnati when Week 1 kicks off.