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Jan 11, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon (28) scores a touchdown against the Los Angeles Chargers in the fourth quarter in an AFC wild card game at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

Texans GM Addresses Joe Mixon’s Season-Ending Injury

Originally posted on Houston Texans on SI | By Jared Koch | Last updated Jan 21, 2026 11:43 AM ET

Throughout the course of their 2025 season, the Houston Texans were without the services of their star running back from the previous campaign, Joe Mixon, who had been dealing with a mysterious foot injury dating back to the team's summer OTAs and minicamps, before eventually keeping him forced off the field for the months ahead.

As to exactly what went wrong with Mixon's foot still remains a bit cloudy. Both Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans and general manager Nick Caserio had not disclosed much throughout the season regarding how severe the injury was or when their star running back might be able to return, leaving his chances to play as a bit of a guessing game until the writing was on the wall as the season came closer to an end.

However, during his end-of-season presser following Houston's playoff loss, Caserio dove into a bit more intel regarding why Mixon wasn't seen on the field throughout the entire season, saying that while the veteran back worked hard to get himself ready to play, that never quite came to fruition.

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

"Joe [Mixon] worked very, very hard to try to get himself ready to play football. It just never manifested itself and came to fruition. So, [we'll] probably have an opportunity to kind of see where he is in the offseason, relative to next year."

Nick Caserio Calls Joe Mixon's Foot Injury a "Freak Thing"

During Mixon's previous campaign with the Texans, where he played 14 games, he put together 245 carries for 1,016 yards on the ground, combining for 12 total touchdowns throughout the year.

Having him at full speed on the field would've offered a major boost to this Texans running back room alongside Woody Marks and Nick Chubb, if the opportunity had presented itself. Yet, it would be a season for Mixon that was never really got off the ground, for an injury that Caserio considered one of the more unique situations he's seen during his time in the NFL.

"But again, it was as unique a situation, an injury, as I've been associated with," Caserio continued. "I don't want to call it a freak thing, but it's just kind of a freak thing... He didn't do anything off the field. It wasn't like he was riding like a snowmobile or anything like that. I'd say it was just more of a medical condition or situation that just, it really didn't improve maybe as much as everybody would have hoped."

Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

"I'm not trying to like evade the question. I think that's the reality of the situation. Like, he didn't jump off a building, he wasn't cliff diving or anything like that. He wasn't doing anything irresponsible. It was just, it was a freak thing, honestly, I'd never seen it."

As to when his timeline to recovery resides now, Caserio wasn't able to offer much direction on that with the offseason freshly underway. The Texans haven't had Mixon in the building for what Caserio deems "a little bit," and will have additional clarity once able to evaluate his health.

"We haven't seen Joe in a little bit. So, I think at some point, we'll see him, and then we'll be able to evaluate where he is. And then based on information, we'll kind of see what the status is moving forward... He's under contract, so we'll evaluate his situation, and then we'll see where it goes from there."

It's a saga that's seemingly never-ending for the Texans regarding when their former Pro Bowl back will return to 100%, and one that will likely linger further into this offseason until more information unravels around exactly what's gone wrong for Mixon's foot.

This article first appeared on Houston Texans on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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