- The 27-year-old had already earned a $250,000 bonus by recording his 10th TD this year
- It was a bittersweet finish for Mixon as the Bengals will not reach the postseason
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Joe Mixon has earned $100,000 in bonuses after scoring twice in Cincinnati's Bengals' 31-14 season finale against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.
The 27-year-old running back had already earned a $250,000 incentive by recording 10 touchdowns on the season. His 11th and 12th touchdowns on Sunday increased his incentives by another $100,000, giving the one-time Pro Bowler a nice reward in an otherwise dead rubber.
Mixon, who is entering his seventh season with the Bengals, made sure he got his money's worth before halftime when he caught a red zone pass from Jake Brown in the first quarter and banked it in for his second score of the game and his 12th touchdown of the year.
He celebrated his achievement by pretending to make money rain in the end zone.
In total, Mixon provided a season bonus of $350,000.
Bengals running back Joe Mixon earned an extra $100,000 on Sunday with his 11th and 12th TDs
Mixon took a pay cut of about $4 million last summer and is under contract with the Bengals through the 2024 season.
Cincinnati took a 24–0 halftime lead against Cleveland, with Mixon's two scores accounting for three of the team's touchdowns by then.
Kicker Evan McPherson added three points to the board with a 45-yard field goal with 1:55 left in the second quarter.
The Bengals were eliminated from the playoffs last month with a 25-17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
It was a bitter end to a rollercoaster year for Cincinnati that included the loss of franchise quarterback Joe Burrow to a season-ending wrist injury, Browning's revelatory play in his place, three straight wins that lifted the Bengals to second place . playoff mix and back-to-back losses to the Steelers and Chiefs that ultimately eliminated them.
Mixon rushed for 111 yards on 14 attempts for a touchdown against the Browns in the Bengals' final game of the season
A win at Cincinnati on Sunday also marked the first time since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger that every team in a division has finished above .500.
Cleveland (11-5) came to Cincinnati having won four straight games and is seeking its first 12-win regular season since 1986.
After the Ravens clinched the division title on Sunday with a loss to the Miami Dolphins, Cleveland sits in fifth place in the AFC playoffs, the first wild-card position. The Browns posted an impressive 37-20 victory over the New York Jets in their home finale last week before losing to Cincy.
Sunday marked the 101st meeting in the “Battle of Ohio” between the two franchises co-founded by Paul Brown. The Browns have won nine of the past 11 meetings between the two, including a 24-3 loss in the season opener in Cleveland on September 10.
Cincinnati leads the overall series 52-48.