Cincinnati Bengals News & Rumors

Bengals Announce 3 Assistant GM Promotions

The Bengals promoted Steven Radicevic, Mike Potts, and Trey Brown to assistant general manager under director of player personnel and de facto general manager Duke Tobin.

“Steve, Mike and Trey work in all areas of the club and assist me in every aspect,” said Tobin (via senior team writer Geoff Hobson). “They’re highly capable. They’re impactful in all areas of personnel. We felt like this title fit their role with us.”

Despite the new titles, Cincinnati’s new trio of assistant GMs will largely have the same job descriptions. Radicevic, who was the co-director of college scouting with Potts, will continue to lead the Bengals’ pro scouting operation and assist in contract negotiations. Potts oversees the team’s college scouting and draft processes while also contributing to their pro personnel strategy. He also works to incorporate the Bengals’ analytics team into the front office’s decision-making process.

Brown, formerly a senior player personnel executive, has a hand in all aspects of Cincinnati’s roster management. He also uses his extensive history as a scout to contribute to the Bengals’ pro and college player evaluations. Brown is widely considered to be a future general manager after interviewing for such a position with four different teams in the last two years.

The Bengals also made a number of moves in their scouting department. Andrew Johnson was promoted from scout to scouting executive and will continue to scout players across the NCAA, the NFL, and other professional leagues. The team also added two scouts: Tyler Ramsey and Josh Hinch. Ramsey started his career with Seattle and most recently worked as the Panthers’ assistant director of pro player personnel from 2022 to 2023. He will scout college players and track the rosters of other NFL teams for the Bengals. Hinch formerly worked for the Patriots’ pro and college personnel departments and will assist in pro and college scouting in Cincinnati.

Shemar Stewart Doing Individual Workouts At Texas A&M

JULY 18: Aggies head coach Mike Elko confirmed (via ESPN’s Ben Baby) Stewart has no intention of attempting to return to college for the coming season. With today marking the reporting date for Bengals rookies, though, Stewart is of course not expected to be present as his contract standoff continues.

JULY 16: Bengals first-round edge rusher Shemar Stewart has been working out at Texas A&M’s facilities, as first reported by 247 Sports’ Ben Elliott (via Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnnati Enquirer).

That has stirred speculation that he could be seeking a return to his alma mater amid his rookie contract dispute with the Bengals. Conway clarified that Stewart is only using Texas A&M’s facilities on an individual basis and is not participating in any team activities. In fact, NCAA rules prevent Stewart from returning to college for the 2026 season after declaring for the 2025 draft. Instead, he is trying to stay in shape and prepare for the NFL season with the hopes of working out his contract before Week 1.

At the moment, however, the Bengals seem poised to take their standoffs with Stewart and All-Pro edge rusher Trey Hendrickson into training camp and potentially the regular season. Cincinnati has until the end of Week 11 to reach an agreement with Stewart, per Yahoo Sports’ Jason Owens. If they don’t, Stewart won’t be eligible to play at all this season.

However, the Bengals would still control his rights until next year’s draft. If they cannot sign Stewart by then, he can enter his name into the 2026 draft, and the Bengals would not be allowed to select him a second time.

It still seems unlikely that Stewart would go down that route given what he stands to lose. Spending a year away from the field would be especially damaging to a raw prospect with untapped physical potential. Sure, Stewart can continue to get stronger and faster, but the technical parts of his game that require significant improvement would be harder to address without full-team practices and games. He would also enter the draft a year older, which could potentially drop him out of the first round where his total value and guaranteed money would be significantly lower.

Bengals, Shemar Stewart Remain At Impasse On Rookie Deal

Bengals rookies are supposed to report to the team’s facilities this coming Saturday, with Wednesday standing as the start date for training camp, so the next few days will be crucial for getting past the contract situation between the team and first-round defensive end Shemar Stewart. According to Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer, “there has been no progress made on” either side of the negotiations.

To recap quickly, Cincinnati is attempting to build new language into its rookie contracts that would void all guarantees in future years if a player does something to void guarantees in any year of the contract, as opposed to only voiding the guarantees in the year that something occurred. Stewart does not appreciate being the guinea pig for the Bengals’ innovative concept, one that can really only stand to hurt him. This has led to an extreme holdout that could still end in several interesting ways.

Stewart’s argument stems from the fact that last year’s first-round pick, Amarius Mims, was taken 18th overall, and Mims doesn’t have that language in his contract. Stewart was taken 17th overall back in April, so how does it make sense that he would receive worse terms in a deal than Mims? Stewart and his representation have challenged the Bengals, saying that, as this is a negotiation, and Cincinnati is asking Stewart to accept a not insignificant concession, the team should be will to offer him something in return.

Unfortunately, rookie contracts are pretty set in stone; the slots have predetermined values, and for a while now, first-round contracts have all been fully guaranteed. Pretty much any negotiating power is typically in the payment structure of the rookie’s signing bonus. Per Conway, the Bengals typically push out the signing bonus in two installments: one on the day the rookie signs the contract and the other 60 days later. She believes that, were Cincinatti willing to agree to pay the whole signing bonus all at once, that would be enough of a concession for Stewart to seriously consider signing the deal.

Unfortunately, though, the Bengals have not made such an offer. In fact, they’ve made zero offers, sticking to their guns about the contract they’d already extended as the final version. Stewart has refused to accept this and left the state, as a result, returning to his alma mater. He’s working out at the Texas A&M facility at the moment, since he cannot practice with the team without a contract.

As Nikhil Mehta wrote earlier today, the Bengals still control Stewart’s rights until next year’s draft. Stewart can refuse to sign and participate in the 2026 NFL Draft, in which the Bengals would not be allowed to select him again, but in that case, he wouldn’t be able to play in college in 2025 and would just be sitting for a year outside of the game. For a player who was drafted more for his potential than his production, sitting out a year could be detrimental for his development.

The best case for both sides is to work out a deal and get Stewart on the field. Stewart needs every bit of work he can get as a developing rookie, and the Bengals need every piece they have to improve a defense that cost them a lot of success last season. It will likely come down to which side breaks first, and with neither party willing to cede any ground, we remain at an impasse.

DT Kyon Barrs Lines Up Cardinals, Bengals Visits

Kyon Barrs was unable to make an NFL roster last offseason but he will attempt to do so in 2025. The defensive tackle has a pair of free agent visits lined up.

Barrs will work out with the Cardinals and Bengals this week, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 reports. The 6-foot-2, 290-pounder went undrafted in 2024. He joined the Titans shortly after the draft but wound up spending training camp with the Seahawks. Barrs was among Seattle’s final cuts shortly before the regular season.

Immediately after being waived, the five-year Pac-12 performer was retained via a practice squad deal. Barrs wound up being cut from the Seahawks’ taxi squad in September, however. He did not receive another look at the NFL level for the remainder of the season, leading to a campaign spent in the UFL this spring. Playing for the Arlington Renegades, Barrs racked up 23 tackles and one sack.

That level of production has landed Barrs – who amassed 120 stops, five sacks and 13 tackles for loss during his five-year college career – back on the NFL radar. Prior to spending the 2023 campaign at USC, Barrs played at Arizona. A Cardinals agreement would thus come with a degree of familiarity.

The interior of the defensive line saw plenty of turnover in the case of the Cardinals this offseason. Khyiris TongaNaquon Jones and Roy Lopez each departed this spring. Calais Campbell returned to the team as a free agent, though, and Arizona’s first-round pick was used on defensive tackle Walter Nolen. Barrs would aim to carve out a role as one of many new faces at the position during training camp.

The Bengals’ training camp will open amongst uncertainty on the edge given the Trey Hendrickson and Shemar Stewart contract situations, but the team’s interior D-line could be a talking point as well. B.J. Hill was re-signed on a three-year, $33MM pact while Sheldon Rankins was released. The latter was limited to only seven games during his one-and-done Cincinnati campaign, but he operated as a full-time starter over that span. The Bengals did not use any of their draft picks on interior defenders.

Both the Cardinals and Bengals currently have over $30MM in cap space at the moment. As a result, a one-year deal for Barrs depending on how his visits pan out will not be a problem.

Players To Spend Season On Franchise Tag Since 2015

The Chiefs and Trey Smith have just less than 48 hours to agree on a long-term extension; otherwise, the Pro Bowl guard will play on the franchise tag and negotiations will be tabled until 2026. That is 2025’s only tag situation as the July 15 deadline approaches.

Over the previous 10 offseasons, 77 players received the franchise tag. Many of those signed extensions before the midsummer deadline. Here are the players who did not and ended up playing the season for the tag price:

2015

Pierre-Paul’s infamous fireworks accident led to Giants rescinding $14.8MM tag, setting up revised agreement 

2016

2017

2018

Bell did not collect any money on his 2018 tag, being the 21st century’s lone franchise-tagged player to skip season

2019

Texans applied $15.9MM linebacker tag on Clowney, trading him to Seahawks in August 2019; edge rusher agreed to salary reduction upon being dealt

2020

Ravens, Judon agreed on compromise between defensive end, linebacker tag prices. Ngakoue agreed to salary reduction to facilitate trade from Jaguars. Vikings traded edge rusher to Ravens before 2020 deadline. Prescott received exclusive franchise tag from Cowboys.

2021

2022

2023

Raiders provided raise to Jacobs to bring him into training camp

2024

Bengals Could Cut LG Cordell Volson

Bengals left guard Cordell Volson is in the unique situation of being both a starting option and a cut candidate. Per Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic (subscription required), Volson could regain his role as Cincinnati’s starting LG, but Dehner also sees the fourth-year pro as a player the team could cut in favor of a better and/or cheaper option.

Volson, who will turn 27 in one week, was selected by the Bengals in the fourth round of the 2022 draft, and prior to a late-season demotion last year, he had served as the club’s primary left guard since entering the league, racking up 48 starts along the way. Despite being afforded such an extensive opportunity to establish himself, he has failed to impress. 

The North Dakota State product has yet to earn an overall Pro Football Focus grade above 59.3, and while his run-blocking has been adequate over the past two seasons, his pass-blocking has never been up to snuff. Last season, he allowed 43 pressures (which led to six sacks) and racked up eight penalties in 984 snaps. As Dehner points out, the strength of the offense in general and the abilities of the team’s tackles and center mean that the guards need to be merely serviceable, but Volson is arguably not even at that level.

That said, Dehner himself recently reported that the Bengals do not plan to add to their guard depth. It therefore appears Volson will need to fend off rookie third-rounder Dylan Fairchild to retain his job, but it is worth noting that Cody Ford and Lucas Patrick are also on the roster. Though both players are currently fighting for the right guard post, they both have spent time at left guard in their careers, so it is theoretically possible that one of them could factor into the LG mix.

Unproven options like Jaxson Kirkland and Tashawn Manning round out the guard depth chart. 2025 UDFA Caleb Etienne saw action at guard in college in 2023, but he spent all of 2024 as BYU’s starting left tackle, and Cincinnati presumably wants to keep him on the outside.

The playing time that Volson amassed over his three professional seasons qualified him for the Level Two Proven Performance Escalator and boosted his 2025 salary to $3.656MM, but his on-field performance forced him to take a pay cut in May. Parting ways with Volson would lead to a net cap savings of roughly $2.5MM, which contributes to Dehner’s belief that the blocker could be on the outs if he does not show significant improvement in camp.

Bengals, Trey Hendrickson Not Expected To Agree To Extension Before Training Camp

There appears to be no end in sight to the standoff between Trey Hendrickson and the Bengals. While the 2025 version of the organization would benefit from an immediate resolution, it doesn’t sound like that will end up coming to fruition. While Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic says that the “best play” for the Bengals’ chemistry would be to wrap up this saga ASAP, the writer doesn’t anticipate a new deal being signed before training camp.

[RELATED: Checking In On Unresolved Edge Rusher Situations]

To review: Hendrickson has made it clear he doesn’t intend to play the upcoming season on his expiring contract, and the pass rusher also admitted that negotiations between the two sides got personal. The Bengals have been known to dig their heels during negotiations, and they’ve also been apprehensive about giving veterans a third NFL contract. That would seem to signal that Hendrickson’s tenure with the organization would soon be coming to an end, although the team hasn’t been all that receptive to dealing the star defender.

For what it’s worth, we heard recently that the two sides resumed communications as they work towards a contract resolution, with the front office starting to feel some desperation to get their defensive leader back on the practice field. Of course, after handing out lucrative new contracts to Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, the cash-strapped Bengals may be hard pressed to fit Hendrickson into their cap sheet.

We also heard that there’s been a disagreement about the structure of any contract. While Hendrickson is rightfully seeking some long-term security, the Bengals have traditionally front loaded contracts so they’d have the ability to bail early. The two sides dealt with similar negotiations last offseason, with the Bengals and the defender ultimately agreeing to a one-year, $21MM extension that kept him attached to Cincy through the upcoming season.

That $21MM average annual value keeps Hendrickson just outside of the top-10 among pass rushers, although the four-time Pro Bowler certainly deserves to be among the highest-paid players at his position. Since joining the Bengals ahead of the 2021 campaign, Hendrickson has compiled 57 sacks, a total that already places him sixth on the franchise’s all-time leaderboard. The veteran has been especially productive over the past two seasons, collecting a total of 35 sacks.

We heard recently that Hendrickson is still willing to hold out into the regular season if necessary. Assuming the organization wants to avoid that worst-case scenario, they’ll have to make some major progress in negotiations over the next month-plus.

33 Unsigned 2025 Draft Picks Remain

The NFL has hit a logjam and is collectively lagging far behind where it normally is at this point in the offseason. Two years ago, the league hit its last 30 unsigned players before July. Last year, teams were signing rookies as quickly as they were drafting them, and only 10 players remained unsigned by June 17. A couple intriguing situations have caused pens to go quiet in 2025, and as a result, here are the 33 remaining unsigned rookies of the 2025 NFL Draft:

Round 1:

Round 2:

Round 4:

  • No. 107 (Jaguars): Jack Kiser (LB, Notre Dame)

In recent years, a trend has seen second-rounders lasting the longest, but what we’re seeing this year is unheard of. As rookies have been getting a bit of flexibility in negotiating structures of guarantees, getting deals done has become a waiting game of seeing what surrounding picks are getting for comparison. Last year, teams breezed through the issue, but 2025 has seen significantly increased troubles.

Texans wide receiver Jayden Higgins set the tone by signing a fully guaranteed rookie contract, the first ever for a second-round selection. The next day, the Browns were essentially forced to do the same for Carson Schwesinger, picked one slot before Higgins. Shough, the Saints rookie quarterback, is seeking the same deal, hoping that his elevated status as a passer will help convince New Orleans to continue making history. Shough’s efforts have caused every pick between him and Higgins to stand pat, waiting to see if they get to ask for full guarantees from their teams, as well. This would be a drastic development, as last year’s 40th overall pick, Cooper DeJean, received only two fully guaranteed years with only partial guarantees in Year 3.

The biggest story outside of the second round is that of the standoff between Stewart and the Bengals. Stewart has issues with what he perceives as a lack of protection in Cincinnati’s offer that causes a contract default in any year to void any guarantees in all the following years. It’s a new precedent the team is trying to set, and Stewart seems intent on preventing them from doing so.

It will be interesting to see which standoff gets settled first: Stewart’s or Shough’s. The latter standoff ending would likely set off a domino reaction of second-round deals that would help a large number of teams close out their rookie classes. To this point, only four NFL teams have done so.

Checking In On Unresolved Edge Rusher Situations

At the offseason’s outset, we projected the edge rusher market — which had not moved too much aside from Nick Bosa‘s contract since T.J. Watt‘s 2021 extension — would take center stage due to the volume of marquee players entering contract years. The fireworks have not disappointed.

The Raiders entered the fray despite having Maxx Crosby contracted for two more seasons, and their early play led the Browns to make the same move — one that took Myles Garrett off the trade block. Garrett’s $40MM-per-year number — which led to Ja’Marr Chase‘s asking price changing, as the title of “highest-paid non-quarterback” gains steam in the NFL — still leads the way at his position, but a glut of edge rushers are still deep in negotiations.

Although both Odafe Oweh and Kwity Paye are heading into their fifth-year option seasons, rumors of negotiations have not emerged involving the Ravens and Colts edge players. Those situations are worth monitoring, but front-burner matters involving All-Pro-caliber rushers — and one curious rookie case — have produced a wave of headlines this offseason. As training camps near, here is where everything stands:

Trey Hendrickson, Bengals

The messiest of these situations has brought a staredown. Although the Bengals have seen a few players (Tee Higgins, Jonah Williams, Germaine Pratt) request trades in recent years, they have not buckled. Hendrickson, though, levied accusations against the team at OTAs and is prepared to sit out regular-season games. This came after executive VP Katie Blackburn‘s comments taking issue with Hendrickson’s stance. Highlighted by the Carson Palmer standoff 14 years ago, the Bengals have not been known to cave. But the team seemingly went from being prepared to move on from Higgins to paying its No. 2 wideout after Joe Burrow‘s crusade. Burrow has stumped for Hendrickson as well.

Trade rumors here have died down, despite the Bengals giving Hendrickson’s camp permission to shop around. The Bengals rejected multiple offers, and teams viewed the Bengals’ asking price — believed to be at least a first-round pick — as unrealistic since an acquiring team would need to hand out a monster extension as well. Hendrickson made it clear early in the offseason he wanted either a Bengals extension or to be traded to a team that would authorize one; months have passed without either resolution, leading to frustration from a player who has anchored Cincinnati’s pass rush since signing in 2021.

Hendrickson, 30, went public after no talks commenced in the weeks following the draft and made it known he would extend his holdout into the regular season. The Bengals are likely betting the 2024 sack leader will cave rather than miss game checks, and they have not offered a $35MM-per-year deal — which would surpass Bosa and land in the range Crosby set — to their top defender.

The Bengals also have a long-held precedent of not guaranteeing salary beyond Year 1, joining the Packers and Steelers in that approach. Though, Cincy bent for Chase and Burrow. The team is aiming to give Hendrickson another one-year deal, after extending him (one year, $21MM) in 2023; the ninth-year vet wants a true extension, even if he is not expecting to match Garrett’s Browns terms.

Cincinnati paid Geno Atkins at 30 and Carlos Dunlap at 29 in 2018, authorizing third contracts for both. Hendrickson will be 31 by season’s end, adding urgency to his situation. The team saw its defense regress in 2024, denying an MVP-caliber Burrow season and Chase’s triple-crown showing from producing a playoff berth. Hendrickson has leverage of denying his services to prop up a defense that needs to improve to better the Bengals’ chances at making the playoffs for the first time since 2022. But the sides are not close to an agreement.

Aidan Hutchinson, Lions

Hendrickson’s price may well change if other rushers land deals that move the bar; Hutchinson is a player to monitor here. The Lions acted early with Penei Sewell, giving the All-Pro right tackle a deal that topped both tackle markets in April 2024. Sewell still resides as the NFL’s highest-paid RT. Hutchinson enters his fourth training camp in position to top the EDGE market, as he is going into an age-25 season. He is also now fully cleared from the broken leg that ended his 2024 season early.

The Lions made it known they were preparing to extend Hutchinson, and fifth-year GM Brad Holmes acknowledged the price could change as other extensions are completed at the position around the league. Hutchinson’s second contract will almost definitely come in north of $40MM per year, as he is nearly five years younger than Garrett. The Lions lacking a proven presence opposite the former No. 2 overall pick also increases his leverage, and the sides are expected to accelerate talks now that a full recovery has taken place.

Detroit striking first here likely would provide a discount. The NFL’s 2023 pressures leader, Hutchinson showing All-Pro-level form again would up his price come 2026. Even with the team having Hutchinson signed through 2026 via the fifth-year option, waiting until the option year could lead to a notably higher price if/once Micah Parsons and T.J. Watt receive their big-ticket extensions before Week 1.

Micah Parsons, Cowboys

Considering how the Cowboys played it with Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb, this situation has generated headlines since Parsons became extension-eligible in January 2024. Parsons, 26, is a three-time All-Pro who is the top player on a team. Trade rumors emerged in 2024, but they fizzled fairly early. Even as the Cowboys paid Prescott and Lamb on top-market deals, with the QB breaking new ground by reaching $60MM AAV, Parsons has long been expected to receive an extension. Once again, however, the Cowboys are dragging their feet. This routine has even surprised Parsons, who said the Cowboys waiting once again will lead his price to rise.

Parsons said during the Cowboys’ 2024 offseason program he was fine waiting until his contract year to sign a new deal, and he expected to become the NFL’s highest-paid defender. Although the Penn State-developed dynamo missed time due to injury in 2024, nothing has really changed regarding that ask. Parsons floated out what appeared to be a $50MM-per-year ask by the spring. It is unlikely the Cowboys will go there, but the fifth-year rusher admitted his price has already risen based on the Crosby and Garrett deals. Parsons’ age and early-career performance work in his favor, and he just saw his top two teammates lead the Cowboys to breaking on their usual term-length aim.

Both Prescott and Lamb secured four-year extensions, being the rare high-profile Cowboys to land deals shorter than five years. Term length is an issue for Dallas with Parsons, but five- and six-year deals are largely avoided now. Only one free agent (Will Fries) agreed to even a five-year deal this year; the cap’s record growth has led players to prefer shorter-term pacts to cash in again sooner. Rumblings of Parsons and Jerry Jones being in step on price emerged, but no reports of a true agreement have come out.

Parsons is still holding out hope for an extension to be done by training camp, even as Cowboys delays have been much discussed, and it represented a good sign he attended the team’s offseason program and participated at points. A hold-in still should be considered likely until a deal is done.

Shemar Stewart, Bengals

The Bengals have managed to pay both Chase and Higgins while still seeing many question their commitment. The team has attempted to distance itself from a frugal reputation; its handling of the Hendrickson and Stewart situations has made that difficult.

While Hendrickson is amid a classic holdout, Stewart is at odds with his new team over minor contract language. He and Broncos safety Jahdae Barron are the only unsigned first-rounders. Barron signed a waiver that allowed him to participate in Denver’s offseason program; Stewart and the Bengals could not accomplish that. This created a situation in which the Bengals’ top two D-ends were not on the field for offseason work.

Language included in the Bengals’ rookie waiver did not sit well with Stewart, who left minicamp early after voicing confusion about the team’s overall goal. The Bengals want to include a clause in Stewart’s contract “that causes a default in the current year to trigger a default in all remaining years.” Stewart also expressed an issue with bonus payments, as his contract would not match the bonus schedule of 2023 and ’24 Cincy first-rounders Myles Murphy and Amarius Mims. Stewart’s agent wants to negotiate this or potentially secure his client a concession rather than the Bengals making an all-or-nothing crusade on this minor matter.

Regardless of how the sides got here, this is not a good place to start — especially given the Hendrickson situation and the team’s poor 2024 defensive showing. Stewart will be attached to a fully guaranteed $18.96MM rookie deal. Offset language has played a role in some of the few holdouts in the rookie-scale era, but the 2011 CBA largely did away with rookie standoffs. The Bengals’ past shows they are unlikely to budge here, putting the onus on Stewart to accept the team’s terms. But this relationship has endured a seemingly unnecessary early hiccup.

T.J. Watt, Steelers

Watt separated from Parsons’ track by skipping minicamp. This also diverges from the All-Pro’s 2021 course, when he staged a hold-in at minicamp and training camp. More material on Watt’s negotiations has come out this time around; the prospect of a training camp holdout — a practice largely curbed by the 2020 CBA — looms. Watt, 30, is aiming to become the NFL’s highest-paid defender. His resume warrants a commitment on this level, but as of this week, no deal is close. Guarantees are an issue this time around.

The Steelers ended Watt’s hold-in days before the 2021 season, reaching a then-market-setting extension (four years, $112MM). More importantly, Pittsburgh gave Watt $80MM fully guaranteed. This broke the team’s non-QB precedent of not providing guaranteed salary beyond Year 1. With Garrett securing $40MM ahead of his age-30 season, Watt (31 in October) naturally wants what his 2017 draft classmate received. Watt can use the threat of not playing — the Steelers are 1-10 in games he has missed — against a team hellbent on changing its recent one-and-done playoff pattern, having signed Aaron Rodgers and traded for D.K. Metcalf, Jalen Ramsey, and Jonnu Smith.

With this situation still unresolved when the team made the trades with the Dolphins, buzz about teams looking into Watt circulated. The team is undeterred. Moving Watt would seemingly be a nonstarter for the Steelers, as it would make little sense to add the cast of veterans they have only to deal away their best player. Even if the Steelers could use a second first-round pick as ammo to trade up for a 2026 QB prospect — after Rodgers’ expected retirement — trading Watt now would severely wound the 2025 team’s chances.

It will be interesting to see if Watt holds out, as the Steelers famously do not negotiate in-season. That separates these talks from the other three veterans’ negotiations. A resolution will happen by Week 1, and it is still expected Pittsburgh will pay up. As it stands, though, the sides are apart on both guarantees and term length. A 2026 franchise tag would become necessary in the event no agreement is reached, but with the team not having negotiated in-season since 1993, a Watt threat to miss regular-season games — no such threat has come out yet — would carry more weight. Both parties want an extension done by camp, but hurdles remain.

Bengals DE Trey Hendrickson Still Prepared To Hold Out During Regular Season

We’ve heard it before; the Bengals do not typically give out third contracts to veterans. The exceptions they did make were on the defensive line, with players like Carlos Dunlap and Geno Atkins, but they just can’t seem to get across the finish line with star defensive end Trey Hendrickson. On a recent SportsCenter appearance, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler broke down the latest on the extension negotiations between the two parties.

Back during voluntary workouts Hendrickson had expressed that things were starting to get personal. These sentiments seem to be echoed by the team’s most recent first-round pick, Shemar Stewart, who told the media that the Bengals prioritize winning contract arguments over winning games. Regardless, Hendrickson returned to the table in recent weeks, and the two sides have been communicating as they work towards an extension. While that’s all good news, it hasn’t yet led to Hendrickson putting pen to paper.

Per Fowler, Cincinnati wants desperately to get this done. They came into the offseason with the goal of extending its three stars. Wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins enjoyed their impressive new contracts together all the way back in March when a joint announcement delivered the news of both players’ extensions. Three and a half months later, and the team is still chipping away at that third star.

The big hurdle here, according to Fowler, appears to be structure. When structuring extensions, Cincinnati doesn’t typically spread guaranteed money evenly throughout the contract, preferring instead to focus guarantees mostly in Year 1 of the new deal, usually in the form of the signing bonus. This makes it easier for the team to back out of a long-term deal early without having to shoulder the burden of excessive dead money.

Teams that operate in this fashion are part of the reason we’ve seen a push from players who desire fully guaranteed contracts. As we saw in the recent NFLPA’s collusion grievance arbitration ruling, though, the NFL appears to be highly motivated to steer the league away from full guarantees.

Hendrickson feels as if he’s earned more long-term security, and it’s going to be hard to disagree. The 30-year-old appears to be aging like fine wine. After a quiet first three years in New Orleans, in which he only accumulated 6.5 sacks, Hendrickson exploded in a contract year with 13.5. The breakout season led him to Cincinnati on a four-year, $60MM deal, and he rewarded his new team with a new career-high 14.0 sacks. Only eight sacks in 2022 qualified that season as a “down” year for Hendrickson before he rebounded with another new career-high 17.5 sacks in 2023 and repeated that total in 2024.

After his first 17.5-sack season, Hendrickson held out in an effort to put pressure on the team’s front office for an extension. When a deal wasn’t reached, the Bengals added a one-year, $21MM extension to his contract to effectively kick the can down the road to this offseason, giving them a bit more time to work towards a deal. Hendrickson has made it clear this offseason that he has no intention of playing for the Bengals on his current contract. The one additional year will, apparently, not work a second time.

Hendrickson also threatened back in May that he was prepared to hold out into the regular season, if that’s what it takes. According to Fowler, he is still very willing to follow through on that threat. Hendrickson is looking for big money. for sure, but more importantly, he wants big money in multiple years. After putting forth his best seasons in Years 7 & 8 of his career, he wants the Bengals to have faith that he’ll be able to deliver into the later years of his contract.