Joe Burrow‘s influence on the Bengals organization was clearly highlighted this offseason, as the QB got his wish when Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins were both signed to long-term extensions. Burrow also made it clear that he wanted star defender Trey Hendrickson to receive a new deal, although a lack of progress on that front has already led to public frustration and a potential holdout.
[RELATED: Bengals In Contract Squabble With DE Shemar Stewart]
While speaking with reporters today, Burrow once again stated that he wanted the Bengals defensive leader to stick in Cincy for the long haul. The QB also said he supports Hendrickson’s decision to not participate in team activities while extension talks are ongoing.
“Yeah, we’ll see what happens with that,” Burrow said (via Myles Simmons of ProFootballTalk.com). “You guys all know how I feel about Trey. He’s a great player. I love Trey as a guy. He goes out and plays well every single Sunday. He’s very productive. He’s a guy that deserves to get paid and get paid what he wants and what the market is. So, like I said, we’ll see what happens with that. But, I love Trey and hope he’s with us.
“I think he’s doing what he thinks is best for his career and I support him in that,” Burrow added. “Trey’s a smart guy. Just like anybody, I’m sure there’s things that he’d like to have back. But he’s very well thought out in his process and what he’s trying to do. And so, if he thinks that’s the way to go, then that’s the way to go.”
As part of a one-year, $21MM extension he signed in 2023, Hendrickson is due a $15.8MM base salary this season. After finishing second in Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2024, the pass rusher is naturally seeking more long-term security and a top-of-position average annual value. While the Bengals were willing to break from tradition with Burrow, Chase, and Higgins, the organization isn’t willing to commit significant guarantees beyond the 2025 season to Hendrickson.
The 30-year-old showed up for the second phase of offseason workouts last week in street clothes, and he reiterated his stance that negotiations have gotten “personal” and he won’t be playing for the Bengals under his current pact. Hendrickson noted to reporters that Zac Taylor threatened fines for eventually missing mandatory practices, and the coach did acknowledge today that he’s since spoken with his defensive star.
“I put a lot of time into thinking — those situations, there’s real money at stake,” Taylor said (via Simmons). “So I put a lot of time and energy into thinking about how to communicate, when to communicate. And so, that’s just how I handled that one. And, yeah, Trey and I have spoken.
“I think every situation is unique,” Taylor added. “Every personality is different, every player is different. The timing of everything is different. So, you just adapt as you go with that stuff.”
All Joe’s endorsements are self serving. I’d respect him more if he endorsed a “buck-a-beer” bash for all fans that attend games at Paycor stadium.
Joe reminds me of the guy who hogs all the food at the buffet before ordering the staff to go buy more on their own dime.
Huh? Big reach there on the analogy.
Like for the name.
Makes no sense. The Bengals are the ones who are supposed to be paying their guys. Burrow doesn’t owe anybody anything financially.
Every team in football that doesn’t already have an elite quarterback answer right now would be thrilled to have Burrow on his contract. He’s not the reason the Bengals nickel and dime other players. He was the first player of this era they couldn’t get away with nickel and diming or letting walk.
What are you even saying
How’d this guy become the LeBron of the NFL already? Dudes had like 1.5 good seasons.
I’m not sure what rock you’ve been hiding under
This is complete nonsense. He could’ve easily been the MVP this past year.
So, how much of a pay cut is Joe willing to take to keep Trey? It’s really easy to spend someone else’s money. Joe has become a little bit of an as*hole lately. Guess that’s what happens when you hang with the elite at the Met Gala. Joe Cool has become Joe Fool.
Yes the billionaire should penny pinch
In the NFL it’s not about saving the owner money. They generate so much they couldn’t possibly not make money unless the owner is a complete moron. However, there is a salary cap…the pie is not unlimited. And when you take the biggest slice you possibly can, then advocate for your favorite teammates to take the biggest slice they can at some point, there aren’t any slices left.
Tom- My sentiments exactly. People act like they have never heard of a salary cap.
If I rooted for the Bengals I’d be glad a top quarterback was putting pressure on them to behave like a competitive team instead of just forcing his way out.
Joe got his money. There was no hometown discount involved. He got his 2 favorite receivers. Now he’s advocating for Trey. Maybe they should have let Higgins walk like 60% of the sports shows said they should and they would have the money to sign Trey. But, I think the problem is that he wants guaranteed money. He’s thirty and has had a hard life. I wouldn’t want to take a chance he blows out an ACL or tears an Achilles. He’s led the league in sacks one time in the last five years. TJ Watt has done it 3 out of 5. He makes 30 million a year. Why does Trey think he should get 40 million a year (I have heard this number from more than 1 person). Is it the Bengals fault he’s a late bloomer? And doing this media crap never ends well. You WILL NOT win a staring contest with Mike Brown. Ask Carson Palmer. Like I said before, let Trey sit without his paychecks and get older, sign Clowney for 5-7 million and get on with the things. Trey will either come in or not and I would venture to say his offers next year won’t be 30-40 million.
I’m not saying I’d be doing backflips to give Hendrickson 30-40 million, but 1) If they didn’t want to pay him, they should have traded him earlier in the offseason and 2) It seems like they may have told him a year ago that if he took the one year and played well, they would pay him. They’re playing with their food again.
Say what you will about Burrow not taking a hometown discount (why should he?), but the guy is tied in yearly average salary with Trevor Lawrence and Jordan Love, and only slightly ahead of Goff and Purdy. He’s a good value on his deal. They dragged their feet on signing Higgins as long as possible, and he’s only making slightly more than Jaylen Waddle. These deals are not unreasonable. The team is in fine cap shape. They’re only slated to be 16th in cash spending this year. Burrow isn’t wrong to advocate for spending.
Again, not wanting to lock up huge money in Hendrickson is fine, but they should have traded him already then. You can like Mike Brown’s staring contests all you want, but they don’t help the team.
Why trade him for a third rounder when he can sit out and they don’t have to pay him. Trey needs to stop listening to his agent and talk to Mike Brown himself. Show some nuggets and be a man. Don’t talk to the press and issue veiled threats, that’s horse crap that agents tell their clients to try. Trey needs to show up at the Bengals offices, walk in and talk to Mike Brown himself. Brown would respect that, but trying to create a circus and acting like you have the upper hand is ludicrous. Technically, the Bengals could sue him because he signed a contract and doesn’t intend to honor it. You can’t sign a contract for anything (home renovations or purchase, buying a car, employment etc) and then change the amount of the purchase price unless both parties agree to toss that contract and renegotiate. I know it won’t happen, but in a perfect world it could.
I’m saying they should have traded him earlier in the offseason and gotten more than a third if they weren’t going to pay him. They can’t sue him, but they can fine him and not pay him if he doesn’t play. That happened with Reddick last year. Hendrickson isn’t acting like he has the upper hand. He’s acting like he has no recourse but to hold out and take his case to the public. I get that you like Mike Brown’s hardball style, but it ain’t great for player relations.
Not sure why the Bengals could not sue him if he doesn’t fulfill his contract to play for 15 million. Unless there is language in the Players Union contract that prohibits it. But then what would be the use in signing a contract in the first place? Either way, I don’t think Trey will show although he has 15 million reasons to come to camp.
NFL contracts are largely written on toilet paper. Again, their recourse is to not pay him. If he doesn’t play, he doesn’t get paid. What would they be suing him for?
Force him to show up and do his job for what he is being paid. It would at least set a precedent. My personal belief is they should let him sit out with no pay, go out and win the division, and at least make some playoff headway. Meanwhile he sits on his happy butt, 15 million dollars poorer and a year older. He definitely won’t be getting 40 million dollar offers next year. The icing on the cake would be if Stewart goes out and gets 10-12 sacks as a rookie. I’m not a fan of people promising to do something and then letting you sit waiting while they keep wanting more money. If your word means nothing, what do you have, and why should I trust you. It might be old school to expect someone to live up to their word/handshake, but it has served me well these 63+ years
It seems like the Bengals may have told him last offseason that they would take care of him this offseason if he played well. Meanwhile, Stewart didn’t even have that many sacks in college and they’ve been nickel and diming him about HIS contract. (And yes, trying to give someone less guarantees than the first round picks you took later last year and the year before is nickel and diming.)
How about shut up and play your contract out Trey. If the tables were turned and you sucked the past 2 years would you give money back ?
Sincerely,
Mr Deeds
Yes, he would have. It’s called getting cut.
He would have been cut and not received most of his money.
I think Trey used this as a reason why he should get more.
Also leadership told him last year he would get a new one – and now appear to be backtracking (per Trey)
I don’t have to be right about this – but I know when you give a contract every dime of guaranteed money needs to be put in an escrow account in cash. I wonder if having to pay out three large contracts at once pinches the owner’s liquidity?
Just because he is an nfl owner doesn’t automatically mean he has unlimited funds. The Bengals owners are already notoriously pretty cheap.
Maybe that doesn’t matter or influence the situation. They can be just looking for excuses to be cheap. The salary cap isn’t a problem, but cash may or may not be. IDK just spitballing.
Joe knows!
So let it be written, so let it be done!
He’s not wrong but he’s if he thinks the Bengals can continue to afford it. Trey alone can’t stop other teams offenses.
They can absolutely afford to give Trey a three year extension or something. Who else do they have to pay anytime soon? Maybe Chase Brown?
The only thing I’ll say in Cincinnati’s defense is things are difficult for a small market team. The only reason it isn’t difficult for Pittsburgh is their owner was already pretty well off before he even got his team.
Paul Brown was just a coach who became an owner when the opportunity arose back when the NFL was still relatively cheap and much less of a business.
It has to be especially difficult in Ohio, where there are three major cities and a bunch of smaller ones with around 100,000 people with most of them having declined over the past fifty years and still not exactly being rich compared to the glory years. That’s a lot of competition for revenue and jobs and businesses etc. That ultimately limits the amount of potential sponsors or for example luxury box revenue a team can draw from.
Their owner might be rich but he’s not independently wealthy. He’s made money from being his father’s son and being owner of an NFL team. Eventually salaries will get to a point where he genuinely can’t afford them but if that’s the case then he should either bring in minority owners who can or sell the team.
Either way, he’s definitely not a good owner and stubborn to a dumb degree.
I’m still trying to figure out how in the hell the Bengals are going to field a playoff team when 4 players are going to take up nearly half the teams salary cap? There are 49 other players that have to be paid? They are going to be hurting at several other positions. Got a feeling this is gonna be a train wreck!