Joe Mixon Signs Four-Year, $48 Million Extension With Cincinnati Bengals

The Cincinnati Bengals have signed a core player to a long-term deal, with the regular season now less than two weeks away.

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Bengals signed star running back Joe Mixon to a four-year contract extension worth $48 million. He was entering the final season of his rookie contract, so Mixon is now signed through the 2024 season.

Per Spotrac, Mixon's average annual pay of $12 million places him sixth among all NFL running backs, behind Christian McCaffrey of the Carolina Panthers ($16.015 million), Ezekiel Elliott of the Dallas Cowboys ($15 million), Le'Veon Bell of the New York Jets ($13.125 million) David Johnson of the Houston Texans ($13 million) and Derrick Henry of the Tennessee Titans ($12.5 million).

Mixon's $48 million extension is also the fifth largest among players at the position. Elliott's six-year, $90 million pact that was signed last year remains the most lucrative among all running backs.

Drafted in the second round - 48th overall - in 2017, Mixon has been one of the NFL's most productive running backs over the last two seasons. He rushed for 1,168 yards and eight touchdowns in 2018 and for 1,137 yards and five touchdowns in 2019.

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Giving long-term contracts to running backs has proven to be risky over the last two years. Todd Gurley, Devonta Freeman, Bell and Johnson all began to struggle after their respective teams signed them to lengthy deals.

But the Bengals are clearly confident in Mixon's ability to stay healthy and play at a high level over the next five years. He has been the team's best player on offense over the last two years, after all.

With prized quarterback prospect Joe Burrow (the first overall pick in 2020) leading the way, the Bengals should have one of the NFL's best offenses in short time. The team will look to end a five-year playoff drought in 2020. They open up Week 1 of the 2020 season at home against the Los Angeles Chargers.

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