Christian McCaffrey got paid, but Joe Mixon hasn’t yet. What happens if the Cincinnati Bengals running back holds out and how does that impact fantasy?
With Christian McCaffrey now holding the title of the highest paid running back in NFL history, we have to wonder which bell-cow back will be paid next. We know Dalvin Cook will make bank here soon, as will Derrick Henry once he gets off the franchise tag, but what about someone else due for a big bump in pay? What about Joe Mixon of the Cincinnati Bengals? What if he holds out?
The Fantasy Footballers briefly talked about a potential holdout from Mixon this offseason and speculated on what impact it could have on fantasy football this fall. Simply put, the guys believes if Mixon holds out, it will be detrimental to both he and the Bengals organization. Jason Moore believes he would surely miss games if he does hold out this summer for a new deal.
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But does Mixon have good reason to hold out? Absolutely, he’s been a great player for the Bengals the last few years and he’s getting paid next to nothing. On the open market, he could fetch something solid, but do keep in mind why he plays for the Bengals and no one else. Once you saw his infamous video, you can’t unsee that thing. He’s overcome a lot, but that black spot remains.
The guys believe the Bengals and Mixon’s representation will work something out. He’ll be a huge part of what they want to do offensively under second-year head coach Zac Taylor. Presumptive No. 1 overall pick Joe Burrow needs a reliable tailback to hand the ball off to so the Bengals can win more than two games next year. Cincinnati is notoriously cheap, but Mixon is one of their guys.
But should Mixon hold out, and would have every reason to from a financial standpoint, it will hurt the both parties exponentially. Summer holdouts didn’t exactly make Melvin Gordon or Ezekiel Elliott better running backs last season. Elliott got paid, but the Cowboys weren’t a playoff team. Gordon’s financial decisions were costly, as he is now on his second team in the Denver Broncos.
As for the Bengals, they’d be without arguably its best offensive player in Mixon if he were to miss a few games for Cincinnati. With a shortened offseason, not having him in the mix will only hurt the rest of the Bengals offense. For them to potentially more than double their win total from a season ago and push for a near-.500 record, Mixon has to be part of the equation in early 2020.