The mystery surrounding Joe Mixon's absence from Cincinnati Bengals practice has an answer.
NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported Thursday that Mixon has been dealing with migraines, per a source informed of the situation.
There is optimism the running back will be back soon, Pelissero added.
The migraines help explain why Mixon hasn't practiced in recent days. Head coach Zac Taylor noted Monday that Mixon had a "minor injury," as the RB stood on the sidelines. Wednesday, however, Mixon wasn't on the field at all.
The star running back enters the final year of his rookie contract with talks of an extension continuing as we head towards the regular season. We generally see several long-term deals get wrapped up in early September. It's possible Mixon's new deal follows that course, but all bets are off in a pandemic-disrupted 2020.
The key to the Bengals' offensive engine, Mixon is coming off back-to-back 1,100-yard rushing seasons. In 2019 he toted the rock 278 times for 1,137 yards and five TDs while adding 35 catches for 287 yards and three additional scores.
Set to earn $1.2 million in base salary in 2020, Mixon is due a massive pay raise. Whether he gets it before the season remains to be seen.
