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Joe Mixon appears willing to hold out.

Cincinnati Bengals appear certain to draft quarterback Joe Burrow with the first overall pick in 2020 NFL Draft. However, their star running back ‘is prepared' to holdout if he doesn't sign a long-term contract with the organization in the offseason.

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Mixon, 23, is entering the fourth season of his 4-year, $4.3M rookie contract and is reportedly “ prepared for a holdout if they can’t agree to a long-term deal, ” The Athletic's Paul Dehner writes.

Mixon is headed toward a substantial salary increase.

Last week, Christian McCaffrey signed a four-year, $64M contract with Carolina Panthers, the richest for a running back in league history.

Mixon, McCaffery have somewhat comparable stats. However, McCaffery owns a better career average in yards-per-rush 4.7 compared to Mixon's 4.2. McCaffery (8.3), also, betters Mixon (8.1) in yards-per-reception.

In 2019, Mixon started 15 games totaling 1137 yards on 248 carries, averaging 4.1 yards per rush.