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Cincinnati Bengals‘ star running back Joe Mixon has agreed to a significant pay cut to remain with the team for the upcoming season.
Mixon, who was set to receive a salary of $9.4 million with a cap hit of $12 million, has restructured his contract, reducing his base salary to just under $6 million, according to ProFootballTalk.
The new deal includes incentives that could allow Mixon to earn up to $8 million, PFT added.
The decision to accept a pay cut comes at a crucial juncture for Mixon, who is entering his sixth season in the league and will turn 27 this month.
The restructuring of Mixon’s contract provides much-needed salary cap relief for the Bengals, who faced financial constraints in their roster management.
With no viable backup in the backfield, the restructure became the most probable outcome for the team. By reducing Mixon’s salary and spreading out the cap hit, Cincinnati can now allocate additional resources to address other areas of their roster.
Selected by the Bengals in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft, Joe Mixon quickly established himself as a key contributor in Cincinnati’s offense. Over the years, he has displayed his versatility as a dual-threat running back, combining his rushing abilities with solid pass-catching skills out of the backfield.
Mixon ran for 5,378 yards in his career, scoring 40 touchdowns while adding 231 catches for 1,763 yards and 10 additional scores.