Earlier this week, we identified during PFT Live Bengals running back Joe Mixon as a player who likely will be an all-caps good PROBLEM in 2020. Some wonder whether Mixon will be a different kind of problem for his team, before the games start.
Mixon wants a new contract. He hasn’t gotten it yet. The fact that he missed practice on Wednesday (via Paul Dehner of TheAthletic.com) has created speculation that Mixon is staying out of harm’s way until he gets paid.
Per a source with knowledge of the situation, Mixon had migraines on Wednesday. According to the source, Mixon currently isn’t planning to practice on Thursday as the migraines linger. Whether his migraines are migraines or “migraines” is a different issue.
If Mixon is strategically avoiding practice while he tries to get a new contract, that’s his business. Plenty of players do it; it’s one of the few weapons still in the arsenal for players to try to get what they deserve when they deserve it.
Mixon has had consecutive seasons of more than 1,100 rushing yards, while playing for a team that otherwise didn’t have much on offense. Now that they have quarterback Joe Burrow, Mixon could be ready to explode. It would be wise of the Bengals to get him paid before that happens.