'We asked him to step up.' Why Joe Mixon restructured his contract with Cincinnati Bengals

While a good portion of the league's running backs are unhappy with their lack of compensation, the Cincinnati Bengals found a way to keep their veteran running back with the team at a discount.

Joe Mixon, who turned 27 on Monday and was a Pro-Bowler in 2021, agreed to restructure his contract earlier this month with two years left on the four-year extension he signed prior to the 2020 season. Mixon, who is entering his seventh season in Cincinnati, is now on a two-year deal worth $11.5 million and the Bengals have the option to cut the former second-round pick after this year and save $5.75 million toward the salary cap in 2024.

"We thought if we had a little more room that would help us with other situations and Joe (Mixon) understood that. He handled himself well," Bengals' owner Mike Brown told the media Monday. "He's been here and been an important player for a long time. We asked him to step up and help us with the overall situation we have and he did."

Director of player personnel Duke Tobin added: "I think he (Mixon) understood where the team was. We have to do what is best for the overall team and he understood that and we found something that we were both satisfied with and he's looking to win."

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What to do at running back position

The situation is that the Bengals' influx of young talent acquired in the draft over the last few years, which led to two AFC Championship game appearances and a trip to the Super Bowl, has now left some stars eligible for new contracts.

Quarterback Joe Burrow is top priority for the Bengals front office this summer, but wide receiver Tee Higgins and linebacker Logan Wilson are also eligible. Wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase is next in line after the 2023 season.

"I don't know how these pieces are gonna fit just yet," Brown said. "We have a pretty good idea of how much we have to spend, how it's accounted for and the (salary) cap. We don't know yet where these other deals are going to end up, but we know we will be pressed to fit them all in."

"We'll see," said Tobin when asked if Mixon's new deal allows the flexibility for those pieces to stay in Cincinnati. "We definitely have need for room and we'll see if we can get things done, but I don't have any updates on any of that. We have a lot of good players that we'd like to keep around here for a long time and we'll see

Mixon played 14 games last season and ran for 814 yards and seven touchdowns and turned in career-highs in the passing game with 60 catches for 441 yards and two scores. He set a franchise record with five touchdowns in Cincinnati's blowout win of the Carolina Panthers last November.

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Team first for Joe Mixon

Mixon attended voluntary and mandatory workouts with the team in April.

"He's always been such a team guy for us. That's been appreciated," Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said. "He's always been a great prescience; devoted team captain. Again, always been a reliable guy for myself, coaches; his energy has been greatly appreciated over the years. Excited to see that continue into this season."

Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan is happy to have Mixon back in the running back room after the team lost reliable backup Semaje Perine to free agency and added to it in April's draft.

"Every year he's been on the field he's found production. That's a big deal," Callahan said. "We need a big back. That's part of football, you still need to be able to run the football in tight spots. I think Joe (Mixon) is gonna bring everything he always does to us."

Mixon is set to appear in Hamilton County courts on Aug. 14 after he was charged with a single count of aggravated menacing stemming from a road rage incident in January when Cincinnati police said he pointed a gun at a woman.

"His legal case is on the 14th of August and we'll see what comes of it," Brown said. "I don't mean to be obnoxious, but I just am going to wait to comment on after the fact, not before the fact."

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: How Joe Mixon's new deal impacts Cincinnati Bengals offense