PFR’s latest poll produced quite the split, with at least 30% of readers viewing three of the Trey Hendrickson options as likely. Hendrickson’s comments Tuesday point to the NFL’s reigning sack champion aiming to avoid one of those paths.
Hendrickson made it clear today (via The Athletic’s Paul Dehner Jr.) he will not play on his current contract in 2025. The ninth-year defensive end is due a $15.8MM base salary. The edge rusher market has climbed considerably this offseason, and Hendrickson’s deal was out of step with his production before the Maxx Crosby and Myles Garrett extensions came to pass. This has created another Bengals standoff.
[RELATED: Hendrickson Holdout Squarely On Radar]
The Bengals have burnished their reputation as a stubborn organization in recent years. They did not pay Jessie Bates at the 2022 franchise tag deadline, and they swatted away trade requests from Hendrickson and Tee Higgins last year. That came after the organization did the same following Jonah Williams‘ trade ask in 2023. Germaine Pratt has since requested a trade. Ja’Marr Chase held in last year, as a handful of his receiver draft classmates received extensions while he waited.
That said, the Bengals appeared to make a substantial effort to appease Joe Burrow this offseason by extending Higgins along with Chase. Those deals, though, have complicated Hendrickson’s path back to Cincinnati. Following back-to-back 17.5-sack seasons, Hendrickson remains tied to the one-year, $21MM extension he signed in 2023. The former Saints draftee also has indicated this Bengals standoff has become “personal.”
Specifically, Hendrickson said Zac Taylor texted him to point out he would be fined by not reporting to the team’s June minicamp. This notification did not go over well with the disgruntled player, who described his lashing out at the Bengals today as “provoked.”
“A little bit transpired between me and Zac,” he said (via Dehner). “We’ve tried to keep it as least amount as personal as possible, but at some point in this process, it’s become personal. Being sent 30 days before mandatory camp, or how many ever days it is, that if I don’t show up, I will be fined, alludes to the fact that something won’t get done in that timeframe.
“With the lack of communication post-draft made it imminently clear to my party — meaning my wife, my son and my agent, a small group of people — that I had (to) inform that this might not work out. I don’t think it was necessary. I think we should have all hoped for the best until proven otherwise.”
The Bengals did give Hendrickson an extension, but that came via a one-year bump. In a rather interesting statement, Hendrickson said (via the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Kelsey Conway) he only signed that deal due to fear Cincinnati would use its franchise tag on him in 2025.
As it turned out, the Higgins standoff from 2024 bled into this offseason, and Hendrickson would have hit free agency at 30 had he not signed that Bengals extension. Burrow’s push for the team to retain Higgins this offseason effectively dropped Hendrickson in the team’s priority queue, but thanks to that extension, he is tied to the team for one more year. Considering Hendrickson’s age (31 in December), that extension has hurt him in an effort to capitalize on his recent production.
Hendrickson referred to the situation having become personal in recent weeks when asked if he wanted to remain a Bengal. No extension talks have transpired recently, refuting a post-draft report that indicated otherwise. The team has rejected multiple trade offers, after letting Hendrickson attempt to find a trade partner, but other teams had viewed Cincinnati’s asking price — reportedly more than a first-rounder — as unrealistic. An acquiring team would both need to surrender a high-end trade package and authorize an extension that would come in north of $30MM per year. With Crosby now at $35.5MM AAV, Hendrickson would have a case to push for that number. Deals for T.J. Watt, Micah Parsons and Aidan Hutchinson stand to further shift the top of the market.
“I’m not going to apologize for the rates of the defensive ends being paid in the National Football League,” Hendrickson said, discussing the Bengals’ lack of an offer in the ballpark the NFL’s top edge defenders have established. Thanks to the Vikings’ one-year add-on for Andrew Van Ginkel, Hendrickson is now the NFL’s 11th-highest-paid EDGE.
While Watt, Parsons and Hutchinson paydays could give Hendrickson more ammo, the Bengals’ past also indicates they are comfortable holding players to contracts. The team would appear ready to bet Hendrickson would not pass on near-$1MM game checks during his crusade. Though, Hendrickson appears ready to display resolve on this front come training camp.
While the four-time Pro Bowler stopped short of indicating he was completely done with the Bengals, this relationship has clearly soured in Year 5. The Bengals added Shemar Stewart in the first round as well.
“I think every relationship is repairable, right?” he said, via Dehner. “Like, I think Myles Garrett proved that he’s a great man, and he’s done great things for his family, and obviously providing on and off the football field. But I think that relationship will repair with time. And same with this. This is just the uncomfortable business side that we’ve unfortunately had to deal with for the last couple years, and, quite frankly, I think we’re all spent.”
It took a market-resetting offer for the Browns to bring Garrett back into the fold. An extension surely would solve the Hendrickson problem, but with the team changing course and paying Higgins, it is far from certain the accomplished defensive end will see another Cincy payday.
Not seeing big money this year also could hurt Hendrickson long term, as he will be slightly less valuable at 31 next year. That has undoubtedly spurred his crusade this offseason, and the effort shows no signs of slowing down.
Falcons pls call
Him
I just hope everyone keep that ” Honor your contract” energy when it comes to him. 🙂
I’ll do that when teams and owners do the same. They can cut a player whenever a player plays below his contract but when they play above the player needs to honor the contract.
I agree with you, but I know whenever the wrs were asking for raises last year. A lot of people kept complaining complaining that they need to honor their contract.
Someone gave him some bad advice in signing a 1 year extension. Pretty sure the franchise tag would be worth more.
He didn’t sign an extension. That’s the problem. He’s on that same deal he signed from FA four years ago. He’s clearly outplayed it, but the Bengals instead of recognizing they signed one of the best FA acquisitions ever, decided to be cheap as always.
I don’t get this stance by the Bengals, unless Hendrickson is asking to reset the market, which is doubtful. If they don’t want to pay him then they should trade him to a team that will. He’ll just leave next year and they’ll get nothing, unless they tag him. He’s out of there no matter what after this situation. It might not be for a couple of years (if the tag is applied), but I won’t be surprised if he won’t want to do business with them anymore after the way negotiations have gone.
He’s under a contract he chose to sign. He made a commitment that he needs to live up to. That’s the fact. After he fulfills his contract he is free to become a free agent and sign with whomever and whatever he desires. Until then, suck it up and live up to your word
Enough with this “he signed a contract” garbage. Teams cut players all the time so they don’t have to pay them. The market has spiked. Hendrickson is one of the top players at his position and is eligible for an extension. Teams either pay the players or trade them to get some value in return if they don’t want to pay them. Pretty simple.
Eligible for an extension. Not owed one.
I would think the only way teams can cut players is on the non-guaranteed parts of their contracts so maybe you should grow up rather than criticize…..there’s a point here….in todays NFL, signing a contract extension or any longer term contract is more than likely end up with the player being unhappy when the market for their position moves past what they signed…..can’t have it both ways….I do agree that this guy does need to get paid but then again what happens when the next Bengal has a good year in 2025 and demands a contract re-negotiation…but that’s todays NFL….
Bigjonliljon, if that’s your stance, that’s fair so long as you’re willing to post the same thing every time a franchise cuts a player before his contract is up. They make “commitments” too that they often don’t honor.
You don’t get this situation from the Bengals? Have you been in a coma for 30 years, lol? Mike Brown is cheap. A competent organization fixes this two years ago when he first asked because it would have made it easier to re-sign their offensive stars. Not the Bengals. They were like we have you for $15 or $16 mil a year, and that’s that.
I suppose I didn’t focus too much on the inner workings of the Bengals front office until the last couple of years. They had to pay Chase. I’m surprised they paid Higgins, but they’re trying to stay in Burrow’s good graces. You’re absolutely right about what a competent organization would do.
It’s always been like this. I used to get on a soapbox explaining how f’ed up the situation was when Marvin Lewis was there and how much he was having to overcome to set the organization straight. They still don’t have an indoor practice facility. Like that’s insane. When the daughter stepped in the situation a few weeks ago, I was like yeah, same old Bungals. Like why is she even talking about this instead of the GM or Mike Brown himself, but it should let you know she’s gotten more heavily involved as Brown is aging out and will continue family tradition of being frugal.
Blowing up their season before it starts yet again. Look for the Bengals to start off 3-7 or something and then frantically try to make the playoffs on the back end of the season. The s*** slides downhill from the top of these bad organizations.
Hendrickson is understandably frustrated but his anger might be misdirected. I don’t think Mike Brown had much choice but to placate Joe the show and sign Chase and Higgins to expensive extensions. There are only so many dollars to spread around right? Someone was going to be left without a chair when the dance ended and Trey was that guy.
They weren’t paying any of them until this off-season. It’s a lame excuse.
Will be hilarious when Stewart is out of the league in four years.
Bengals are a mess
What else could we expect from this dumpster fire of a North Kentucky franchise. At least it won’t a mystery why they start off the season as slow as a sloth stuck in molasses.
Prioritize the players who put people in the seats.
Bryce Huff, 3rd and 7th… I can see Howie getting this done.