Houston Texans GM Finally Speaks Out About Joe Mixon Trade

The Houston Texans have made numerous big moves this offseason, but one addition that is flying under the radar is running back Joe Mixon.

The Texans acquired Mixon in a trade with the Cincinnati Bengals last month, and due to the club’s recent acquisition of star wide receiver Stefon Diggs, the move for Mixon has kind of been swept under the rug.

Houston general manager Nick Caserio spoke out on the trade recently, explaining how the Texans were able to swing a deal for the former Pro Bowler.

“Joe was set to be released. He was a player that we evaluated, and we thought could help our team in some capacity,” Caserio said, via Christian Gonzales of NFL.com. “So, to the earlier question, you get on the phone, talk to the team. ‘Hey, we’d be interested. Would you guys be willing to give up a pick, or if we gave up a pick would you be interested?’ That’s kind of how the trade was consummated. Just relative to the commitment we made to Joe, Joe has been a productive player, pretty consistent player, and we think he can help our team. We’re glad he’s here hopefully for a few more years. That’s how that all sort of came together.”

Houston landed Mixon for the cheap cost of a seventh-round draft pick.

Mixon is coming off of a 2023 campaign in which he played every game and registered 1,034 yards and nine touchdowns while averaging four yards per carry. He also hauled in 52 receptions for 376 yards and three scores.

The 27-year-old, who played his collegiate football at the University of Oklahoma, was selected by the Bengals in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft.

He spent the first six years of his career in Cincinnati, with his most efficient season coming in 2018 when he racked up 1,168 yards and eight scores, logging a robust 4.9 yards per attempt.

However, his lone Pro Bowl appearance came in 2021. That year, he totaled 1,205 yards and 13 touchdowns as a rusher, posting 4.1 yards per tote.

While Mixon has tallied four 1,000-yard campaigns, he has not averaged any better than 4.1 yards per carry over the last five seasons and has finished with under four yards per attempt twice in that span.

We’ll see if Joe Mixon can be more efficient with the Texans in 2024.