Joe Mixon recharged with aggravated menacing

Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon has had a tough offseason.

In early February, we learned of an arrest warrant for aggravated menacing. The complaint alleged that Mixon pointed a firearm at a woman and threatened her.

Shortly after the charges were filed, they were dismissed in Hamilton County court, but it was stated that the charges could be brought back up at a later date. After that settled, a shooting took place near Mixon’s home, and it took weeks to find out that he would not be charged.

Friday, the aggravated menacing charge was reintroduced to the court and filed, citing the discovery of new evidence.

These issues couldn’t come at a worse time for Mixon. A quick scroll through Twitter can show you the divide in the Bengals fan base surrounding Mixon. Some want him cut strictly for salary cap reasons and are using the legal trouble to further make their point. Some will show you Mixon’s production and argue that he’s an important part of the offense.

The reality of the situation is that Mixon is toward the end of his second contract, carries a $12 million cap hit, and is playing on a team full of young stars who will soon need new contracts. All of those things make his repeated appearances in the news cycle more amplified and possibly detrimental to his future in Cincinnati.

We don’t know what the legal process will determine for Mixon and the front office hasn’t been too clear on their intentions with Mixon, but off-the-field trouble isn’t doing anything to quiet the noise.

We will have more on this story as more information becomes available.