Rumors Are Flying Around Joe Mixon’s Freak Injury Last Offseason That Explain How It All Turned Into a Disaster

This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.

Joe Mixon had a dynamic first season with the Houston Texans. He was supposed to repeat that feat in 2025; however, he never played a single game. Mixon was placed on the reserve/non-football injury list in late August. Designated to miss the first four games, he ended up missing every game.

After Joe Mixon led the Houston Texans in rushing in 2024, Ian Rapoport stated he was not going to play in 2025, something Mixon disagreed with at the time. He was surely not being truthful to social media just as he wasn’t with his team.

The Texans’ rushing game suffered because of it. Joe Mixon missed the entire season after suffering a mysterious foot injury. Now, it seems the real truth is starting to leak out.

An X user shared a text message from someone in Houston who laid out unconfirmed details about what was going on with Mixon.

Did Joe Mixon Get Surgery On His Own Without The Team’s Knowledge?

A Twitter message says that Joe Mixon went on vacation last offseason and participated in some extreme sports or four-wheeling. He ended up screwing up his foot badly.

Instead of reporting this to head coach DeMeco Ryans or the front office, he went to a third-party doctor and got surgery. Clearly, he thought he could get surgery and heal up in time before the 2025 season. He was wrong.

Rumors buzzing around Joe Mixon’s “freak” injury 👀 pic.twitter.com/A2THQelswr

— Tomorrow’s Retro (@tomorrowsretro) February 27, 2026

That third-party doctor reportedly screwed up so badly that he was forced to call the Texans since he had gotten two or three surgeries since.

Texans general manager Nick Caserio shared more information on why Mixon wasn’t seen on the field this year. Caserio revealed that Mixon is dealing with a “freak” medical condition that never improved and caused him to miss this season.

As for the rumors surrounding his injury, he made it clear that he didn’t do anything irresponsible off the field. “He didn’t jump off a building. He wasn’t doing anything irresponsible. It was a freak thing.”

“It was a very unique situation,” Caserio said of Joe Mixon’s injury. “I don’t think anybody really had any clarity, honestly, from the start of the year until now.”

Unfortunately for Mixon, it does not appear that he will be spared over this situation. The Houston Texans are expected to release him, according to KPRC 2 Houston’s Aaron Wilson. Releasing Mixon would save Houston approximately $8 million in 2026 cap space.