Joe Mixon and Bengals reportedly agree to 4-year, $ 48 million contract extension | Launderer report

Running back Joe Mixon agreed to a four-year, $ 48 million contract extension with the Cincinnati Bengals on Tuesday, ESPN reports Adam schefter and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Shortly before the news broke, Mixon released a teaser to fans on Twitter:

The 24-year-old, a 2017 second-round pick, was due to enter free agency in 2021.

Duke Tobin, director of player personnel for the Bengals, told 700 WLW Lance McAlister in May, the team was open to discussing a new contract (via Pro Football Talk’s Josh Alper):

“Joe is obviously a guy who has shown a lot of ability. He’s a year away where he can be extended, and he’s a guy we’ve visited. We’ll go through these discussions and see if there is. has a fit or a match for a long term contract with him, obviously a guy we appreciate a lot. What’s great about Joe is that he’s doing it the right way. … is the kind of guy you want to get into with a long-term deal. We’ll see if we can find the commonalities to make that happen over time. “

Tobin alluded to the delicate balance that NFL teams try to strike when crafting extensions with their starting running backs. GMs usually want to keep the player but are reluctant to commit too much money on the grounds that their value could quickly decline in the years to come.

Todd Gurley is the most remarkable example. He signed a four-year extension in July 2018 that included a $ 45 million guarantee. Not even two years later, the Los Angeles Rams released him amid concerns about an “arthritic component in his knee.”

However, that didn’t stop the Carolina Panthers from giving Christian McCaffrey a four-year $ 64 million extension, including nearly $ 38.2 million guaranteed.

While he hasn’t been able to eclipse McCaffrey’s record-breaking average annual salary of $ 16 million, Mixon’s asking price might have increased based on what the 2019 All-Pro received from Panthers.

Athletic’s Paul Dehner Jr. reported in April that the Bengals were planning a potential withdrawal of the product from Oklahoma in the absence of a long-term deal.

Following the situation in June, Dehner wondered if the financial ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic left him stuck in an unenviable position:

“For Mixon and his camp, it’s going to be about understanding his worth and finding a way to earn the guaranteed money he can find. If you still get into that thinking McCaffrey or Elliott in the $ 15 million range per year, it’s reasonable, what will be a non-starter, half of which is probably a more likely starting point.

“The reality is that teams won’t have that kind of money to spend on the least valuable position in the game, especially when it has little or no leverage.”

In his first three years, Mixon looked like a capable back, but didn’t see a real breakthrough.

He ran for 1,168 yards and eight touchdowns while catching 43 passes for 296 yards and a score in 2018. Rather than building on that, he fell back in 2019. Although he still eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark (1,137 ), his yards per carry dropped from 4.9 to 4.1 and he had eight fewer receptions despite appearing in two other games.

Mixon’s somewhat disappointing 2019 could be attributed in part to its supporting cast.

AJ Green missed the entire season, leaving the Bengals without a viable No.1 threat in the passing game, while the offensive line ranked 26th in line yards adjusted, per Football Outsiders. Cincinnati selected Alabama offensive tackle Jonah Williams with the 11th pick in 2019 to see him undergo shoulder surgery before playing a single shot.

Now Green is back to good health and the Bengals bolstered the offense through the draft by adding Joe Burrow and Tee Higgins.

To some extent, Mixon might end up regretting signing his overtime when he did in the event that an improved offense helps him climb to the Pro Bowl.