Why Joe Mixon isn't playing this season for the Texans with injury

Billy Heyen

Why Joe Mixon isn't playing this season for the Texans with injury image

Kevin R. Wexler-NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Joe Mixon was so good in 2024 for the Houston Texans

In 2025? Well, he hasn't played at all.

That will remain true even in the playoffs. The Texans play in the Wild Card Round on Monday night in Pittsburgh against the Steelers.

Mixon will continue to play no part.

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Why isn't Joe Mixon playing this season?

Joe Mixon got injured before the season and never made it back.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport posted on X on Nov. 20 that Mixon wasn't going to be taking the field for the Texans in 2025.

Mixon's absence stems from an offseason foot injury.

It's been a bit of an odd one from the start. There was never that much clarity on what Mixon had done to his foot, and at first, there wasn't a suggestion that it would be this lengthy an absence.

But as time went on, Mixon simply never came back into the picture. The Texans never alluded to activating him.

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As early as a handful of weeks into the season, Texans coach DeMeco Ryans had already spoken about Mixon in the past tense, saying, “We’re rolling with the guys that are here. That’s the main thing. We miss Joe, miss his energy, and his enthusiasm and everything he brought to our team. We continue to press forward and hope he’s doing well.”

The Texans have used Woody Marks, Jawhar Jordan and Nick Chubb in the backfield.

Mixon is under contract with the Texans for 2026 for $8 million, but they can get out of the deal with only a $2 million dead cap hit, which seems likely at this point.

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