10:00pm: Cincinnati has been fielding calls on Hendrickson for weeks, Dehner and colleague Dianna Russini report. If the Bengals were to trade Hendrickson now, they likely would not land as valuable of a trade package as they would have if they had traded him before the draft. Clearly, no team has put forth an attractive enough offer as of yet.
12:20pm: Contract talks between the Bengals and defensive end Trey Hendrickson are at an impasse, per Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. As such, the club is again listening to trade offers for its star pass rusher. 
NFL insider Jordan Schultz says the Panthers, Browns, and Colts are among the clubs that have expressed interest. Of course, an intra-division trade to Cleveland for a player of Hendrickson’s magnitude is unlikely, and Cincinnati is still setting a high asking price in trade talks. Per Schultz, the Bengals are seeking an impact player or two as well as a draft pick. A mutual interest still exists for this team-player relationship to continue, Schultz adds, but the same issues (namely guaranteed money) continue to represent a sticking point in negotiations.
The Bengals’ offense was excellent in 2024, with quarterback Joe Burrow and wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase both submitting MVP-caliber performances. Chase and running mate Tee Higgins were re-signed this offseason, and the team also returns promising running back Chase Brown, so points should not be terribly difficult to come by.
However, the team’s woeful defense undermined the efforts of Burrow & Co., and Cincinnati ultimately failed to qualify for the postseason. That is despite the presence of Hendrickson, who recorded 17.5 sacks for the second year in a row and who earned First Team All-Pro acclaim. Given that continued elite production and the upward movement of the EDGE market, any new Bengals accord will include a substantial raise if one can indeed be worked out before Week 1.
The Bengals did add a potential impact pass rusher, Shemar Stewart, in the first round of April’s draft, and Stewart is now in the fold after unusual contract talks of his own became a basis for criticism directed at the organization. Still, it is unclear whether Cincinnati did enough this offseason to significantly improve its defense, and subtracting Hendrickson from the equation would seem to make matters more difficult for new defensive coordinator Al Golden.
As such, Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer is skeptical that the Bengals are serious about moving Hendrickson, and Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic does not believe the situation has changed. He does not think the club, through today’s reports, is trying to drum up trade interest, and he continues to believe it is unlikely a rival team will meet Cincinnati’s asking price and pony up a massive extension for Hendrickson.
As things stand, the 30-year-old is owed $16MM in 2025, the final year of his pact. Hendrickson has stated a willingness to sit out regular season games in the absence of an extension. Time remains for an agreement to be reached, but before authorizing any major raise, the Bengals will once again field trade offers.
Adam La Rose contributed to this post.
That’s too bad. Heck of football player 🏈
Good for him. He needs to get the hell out of that awful franchise.
Holding out into the season doesn’t work well. Ask Leveon Bell how it went for his career.
Truth is that the Bengals already iffy defense will be screwed without him.
Didn’t do so well last year with him
Bell was a running back the Steelers had worked into the ground at a time when the league was starting to devalue backs. That’s a little different.
Le’Veon Bell only made $16MM over his entire career in Pittsburgh, including on the franchise tag. He made almost $30MM after holding out.
Yes, he physically was never close to earlier in his career, but if his production had fallen off a cliff the year he held out, he likely wouldn’t have come close to making another $10MM after that season, let alone the $30MM that he banked from the Jets contract.
And like Oooof said, the Steelers had already run him into the ground by that point. He probably knew it, or at least his agent did.
“Ask Leveon Bell how it went for his career.”
He made a ton of money and much, much more than he would have if he never held out. It went *great* for Bell’s career.
You do realize he forfeited 14.5 mil in salary by not playing that season under the franchise tag? Just given away.
He got a total of 27 from the Jets despite signing a deal for 52.
So he made a total of 13mil more than he would have if he played the season with the Steelers and then hit FA.
Please explain how he made much much more. Would love to see how you balance your check book
Also saved himself a year of getting his head knocked in for that 14.5M, which I’m sure factored into signing him to what he received because he had less wear and tear.
“So he made a total of 13mil more than he would have if he played the season with the Steelers and then hit FA.”
So you’re just out here guaranteeing that he would have received $13 million more, when he played so poorly for the Jets that they cut him halfway through his deal? Good thing you weren’t Bell’s agent.
It’s a fact that all he received was 13 mil more.
He got 27 guaranteed from the Jets after giving up 14.5 from the Steelers.
Do the math
Rct he could’ve had many more millions if he hadn’t held out. Fact.
Not a fact in the slightest. He was down to 4.0 yards per carry when he held out with the Steelers. And we all saw how bad he was for the Jets, even with the benefit of being fully healthy due to a year off. Holding out was his last, best chance at cashing in. He took it and came out way ahead.
Rct just find the offers he was getting from Pitt vs the one from NYJ and factor in the entire season of earnings he lost for sitting out.
Ext the Steelers had a similar offer to him prior to the franchise tag.
You also forget that he was a good weapon out of the backfield
This whole notion that he was washed is comical
Players can’t even hold out like that anymore under the new CBA.
LeVeon Bell could have suffered a Nick Chubbs like injury the season he refused to play on the franchise tender, which would have prevented him from getting a guaranteed $35 million from the Jets. He is not an example of a player who screwed himself by denying his services to his team.
This is such a ridiculous take. Everyone COULD suffer an injury every time they step on a field.
He did not get a guaranteed 35mil from the Jets. Check your numbers.
Please explain how he bettered himself financially by walking away from 14.5?
This is some of the most insane rationale I’ve ever seen. Players cannot make up that lost money, ever.
It’s not ridiculous at all. A year of no wear and tear. I’m sure that factored into giving him the guaranteed dollars, not to mention avoiding injury as mentioned by others.
Bell got huge money guaranteed, from what I remember.
The Jets grossly misused him,.and it destroyed his value. He was still a guy who could have been effective on the right team.
Definitely did not work out for Bell, but this isn’t the same situation, either. Holding out generally does hurt a player, but it’s also their only way to get leverage.
Hendrickson has a better case, methinks, than Bell did, and fewer character concerns too. More teams would be willing to give out a deal to Hendrickson after a hold out in my estimation than they did Bell, who pretty much had the Jets as an uncontested suitor by the time that deal was done. Hendrickson probably has more appeal in comparison, both due to his position and the lack of off-field issues.
Come on colts , get him
Colts are too unlikely to contend this year and too likely to want to position themselves for a QB next year to trade much in the way of picks for a 30 year old who wants a new contract.
Doubt he’s fetching a first rounder, but the only reason the Colts are probably on the list is because his old DC is there.
2 impact players and a draft pick? Bengals may get 1 starting player and a 2nd round pick but it’s not gonna be an impact player unless I have a different definition of the word impact
Commanders and patriots make most sense and they have the cash too
Commanders are already missing a second and a fourth next year. At some point they have to stop trading picks or they’re going to run into serious roster building/cap problems.
You can trade more than picks though. And Trey can be released too
What would they realistically trade for Hendrickson that wouldn’t create new holes? Part of the problem with them missing picks is that they also have an old roster with a ton of upcoming free agents.
A third and fifth and maybe Brian Robinson Jr?
Can’t imagine the Bengals would take that. They need Robinson less than Washington does. And again, I think Washington is in a bad place to be trading away more draft picks. They’re an old team facing a lot of roster turnover next year already down a couple of picks.
Patriots then? Also bears
I think the Bears have spent too much on Sweat and Odeyingbo to commit that much to another edge rusher, even if passing downs with all three would be fun. New England I guess could make sense. They have so much money even if they’re not ready to contend. If Gutenkust weren’t so opposed to players over 30, I’d be intrigued by a deal involving a pick or two and one of the Packers’ young defensive front players.
Ultimately I think this gets done in Cincinnati.
If it gets done it’s taking forever.
This whole thing should have been done ages ago. If they were going to trade him, the time was not the back half of August.
It’s the Bengals. It’s a horribly run franchise.
No one plays with their food like the Bengals. Except maybe the Cowboys.
Bengals love playing with their good. Look at Chase and Stewart and Hendrickson lol
Called it. Commanders are shopping Robinson lol
Don’t think he moves the needle on a Hendrickson deal though
Fair
Disagree. Robinson and Chase Brown is potentially instantly the best backfield duo in the division by a lot since Baltimore doesn’t have anybody behind Henry and Cleveland and Pittsburgh have no proven #1s.
Cincy needs to keep the ball out of the hands of opposing offenses, and a dominant run game like that would do exactly that while keeping Brown fresh.
Then Brooks can take over Robinson’s spot next year rather than have the pressure on him this year.
I don’t know if it would be wise for the Pats to trade assets for Hendrickson. They’re too far away from being a contender. imo, Hendrickson works best on an already good team looking to bolster a contending window.
Commanders aren’t paying McLaurin for this same reason, he’s already 30. They’re definitely not about to trade assets fora 30 year old DE and give him the bag either.
They might be listening. The real question is whether anyone is calling this late in camp. Nobody has that much money left even at his reduced rate for this year. The time to play this game is before the draft.
I’m still guessing they get this done. Bengals would be kneecapping their defense when they’re trying to compete now and they would be getting a worse trade return than they would have gotten earlier in the offseason when more teams were in position to bid. And for all his digging in, I doubt Hendrickson would want to sit out more than a game or three.
You mean to tell me he never warmed up to the contract without guarantees? Weird…
Shocker
An impact player or 2 plus a draft pick for a 30 year old DE demanding top of the market money…. Like I understand you have to set the asking price high but that price has me wondering if everyone in the Bengals management is high.
That ask literally seems like something that would happen in a fantasy league. We’ve all had people ask for this sort of thing over the years and we just ignore that guy as a result.
Harping on his age when he’s led the league in sacks two years in a row.
Contracts are about future production so age is absolutely important.
Ask Al Harris and Todd Bell how that work out in 1985
You can’t draw a parallel with their situation to now. That was a very different world back then for NFL players. Hell, that was before free agency.
Please send him to Cleveland.
First team to offer a decent offensive line Guard gets him.
Bengals screwed this up from the start. If they were really unwilling to budge on any of this guy’s demands, they should have traded him months ago. Now, they either won’t have Hendrickson because he’s holding out, or they’ll trade him for less than they could have received earlier. Classic Bengals.
That ship has sailed no way u get two impact players and a pick give that up and pay him? No way.honestly a 2nd rounder and fillers if that
Wouldn’t mind him in Tampa. Bucs don’t have the space for him without trading some money back. Maybe Goodwin and a couple of picks would work?
Last thing Bengals need back is a WR when they already have Chase and Higgins. Their depth behind those 2 isn’t ideal but they need O-Line and help at all levels on defense
They couldn’t and wouldn’t trade Godwin right after signing that deal and the Bengals wouldn’t take him on.
The Browns even being on that list is proof positive that sound decisions aren’t being made in that franchise. This is something the Bills should be in on because they’re not going to beat the Chiefs with that pass rush they currently have. At the right price of course.
Bengals need no offensive help. From reports, they’ve offered Hendrickson $30mil a year, but no guarantees, which I’m ok with as a Bengals fan. He’s getting long in the tooth, and as we Cincy fans have become accustomed to, he gets a guaranteed contract and gets hurt, well we are screwed for X amount of season of paying a dude riding the pine. As someone said, the defense sucked with him last season and if he’s not here this season, we have Ossai and Stewart to play. At this point, and I’m a Hendrickson guy with a jersey, I say trade him for a 1st and 2 2nds and be done. Spend the money elsewhere. It’s not worth the hassle at this point.
No way you get that kind of haul for him, especially not at this time in the year. Ossai isn’t filling those shoes and expecting to keep Hendrickson without meaningful guarantees past the first year is silly.
Id like him Kelly Green because I believe their is a real need there. Assets yes+Howie= why not.
I WISH the Eagles would permanently wear those beautiful old Kelly Green unis of the 60’s instead of the Forrest Green or whatever color unis they wear now. Yet another example of messing with something that should have been left alone. Like the Denver unis of the 70’s and 80’s or the Falcons unis from the late 60’s or 70’s or even the Jerry Granville era unis.
Couldn’t agree more!
Word is Cincy wants player/players plus draft capital….Howie can’t match that.
We have to see what we have in these young guys first.
Exactly the point. Pay Him one year guaranteed and let the rest of the contract play out. Meaningful guarantees past the first year on a 30+ DE are tough to swallow. As much as the Bengals frustrate me, I do agree with their don’t pay for past performance model.
Then trade the man earlier in the offseason if you’re not going to pay anything resembling a market contract.
“Meaningful guarantees past the first year on a 30+ DE are tough to swallow.”
Why? Based on the reporting, Hendrickson doesn’t appear to be asking for a mega deal or anything long term. He’s coming off an All-Pro season and was a runner-up DPOY. Two years fully guaranteed is too much for him? Especially to a team that is desperate for defensive help?
He’s asking for Watt area money and a longer than 2 year guaranteed deal….and he has a contract right now….
“He’s asking for Watt area money and a longer than 2 year guaranteed deal”
That isn’t what has been reported. He’s looking for guaranteed money beyond year one. Bengals won’t do that.
Glad you’re ok with 30 million a year and no guarantees. Hendrickson isn’t
I’m also a normal person knowing that 30 mil per year will be good “security” for my family. These salaries are getting nuts, yes even the offense, to where teams aren’t going to be able to field more than 4-5 players.
Wait til you find out the guaranteed money Roger Goodell gets.
Oh I know. The man who seemingly has the easiest job on the planet. Show up to work and the business just makes money hand over fist. I’d like to give it a try
“These salaries are getting nuts”
Go look at NFL revenues. If you don’t think salaries should rise with revenue, then you are saying you want owners to rake in more cash. If that’s your stance, fine. But I don’t tune in to watch owners.
Are you ok with doing your job for 20% less? Somebody else is
And he wants way north of a 2 year contract
@ROCKY07: where are you getting this from? “way north of a 2 year contract” would be 4+ years. Not even TJ Watt got that many years. Reports are that the sticking point is the Bengals not doing guaranteed money beyond year one.
Yes…read that too….but do you really think he’s going to settle after all this for a 2 year pact with only the first guaranteed?……I and many others think not….what I meant by “way north” was most probably a 3-4 year contract with multiple years guaranteed given that he’s 30 and having a contract disappear when he’s 33-34, leaves him in no mans land contract wise with a huge possibility that age, injuries, and their impact on his performance makes him a “journeyman” at best…..
This late in the offseason really limits trade partners.
Its always still possible, but not as easily.
Maybe NE?
One of the most entertaining stories of the year would be Jerry Jones and Mike Brown swapping headaches 🙂
Then i would have a headache
Calling elite DEs headaches because their teams don’t want to pay them is certainly a take.
Mike Brown isn’t trading for a player he would need to give even more guaranteed money and Dallas isn’t trading Parsons.
Are the Buccaneers lurking on this…this guy would be perfect…even if they overpaid…he would help them win a Super Bowl this upcoming season
Don’t think he’d fit in Bowles’s scheme.
I think they could figure it out
C’mon Brad Holmes, jump all over this opportunity!!!
Just here to see how many fans of teams with no cap space say, “go get him.”
We have N.E., Chicago and Detroit so far.
Cleveland also……lol
You do realize that cap space is not a real number? So much you can do. You can extend other players. You can backload Hendrickson’s contract. Voidable years. Turn salary into signing bonus
I know how it works. Teams in the negative for next year are not going to make that move.
Lions have cap space but will likely roll it over to use on their own guys next year. Imagine that team with him playing opposite of Hutchinson though… dayum.
Lions are over 40 million over for next season.
Seattle has the cap, the young player, and draft picks to make this trade.
Raiders will give u DE Tyree Wilson and a future 1st Round pick. Tyree was a former lottery pick 2 years back. Started slow his Rookie year but got more playing time last year after Malcolm Koonce’s injury.
Wilson is looking REALLY good this preseason, and he’s already a really solid run defender. Cincy needs that.
I think, at this point, it’s best for both the Bengals and Hendrickson to part ways. He isn’t going to make enough of a difference for their defense because they have too many holes and, while he’s a great pass rusher, he isn’t a force multiplier like a TJ Watt. A trade would give the Bengals some assets for the future and Hendrickson a chance to go to a team that will pay him.
I think it’s possible Howie traded for Metchie because he’s going to trade Dotson to Cincy or some other team. He might very well be gearing up to make a run at Trey.
Dotson would be the perfect #3 for Cincy but I hope the Eagles keep him.
Keep dreaming…..After you Eagles fans stop salivating over Metchie who may not even make the team….Cincy would want lots more than Dotson who’s nothing more than a #3 complementary wideout…..Cincy wants 1 or 2 impact players and draft capital…..lots more than Howie can afford….no magic in Howie’s stick this time man…….
Lol Dotson would easily be Cincy’s third best WR by a mile. He’d have a monster year playing with Burrow.
The Eagles have plenty they could offer, and I’m sure Trey would be fine with a one year major salary boost or a backloaded contract to play for the defending Superbowl champions and be part of an elite defense and especially an elite defensive line.
Trade him for parsons!
Mike Brown isn’t trading for a player he has to give even more guaranteed money and Dallas wouldn’t do that anyway.
Why would they trade him when they can tag him each of the next two seasons? Trey is stuck and it’s his and his agents fault.
He would pretty clearly sit out and force the issue before they got to that point and franchising guys twice messed up a team’s cap flexibility pretty badly.
Go get this guy, Vrabel!
30 year old studs go straight to 32 yr old overpaid bums real fast. Do you know what kind of contract he wants from another team? No GM is paying him for his previous career for some other guy. I’d offer a 4 for a one year rental and make it clear to him that’s what it is before doing it. He’ll be back with the Bengals on a lesser but still over paid future dead money deal.
And please, no one say go get this guy Howie!! Don’t do that.
Genuinely don’t care what you say.
GO GET THIS GUY, HOWIE!
Your wife cares what I have to say
If he does get traded it sure as hell won’t be in the AFC. If a trade does happen I can see it being the Bears perhaps. I’d love my Lions to trade for him but there is no way it’ll happen. Not with Hutch, Branch, LaPorta, Gibbs and Campbell all becoming extension eligible soon. And to give up 1-2 young defensive players AND draft capital AND giving him a huge deal? Not happening…