Trey Hendrickson

Bengals DE Trey Hendrickson Open To Trade

February 5th, 2025 at 7:24pm CST by Ely Allen

Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson visited the set on The Pat McAfee Show today, and Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic was tuned in, as he always is with Bengals-related media. Dehner pulled away a number of notable tidbits, primarily: Hendrickson wants his contract situation figured out now; whether it’s by extension or trade doesn’t much seem to matter to him.

Nothing about this situation is very new. For each of the past two years, Hendrickson’s contract has been in Cincinnati’s offseason news. Hendrickson initially signed with the Bengals following an impressive conclusion to his rookie deal in New Orleans that saw him total 13.5 sacks in 15 games in 2020. Each year since, Hendrickson has represented Cincinnati as a Pro Bowler, even earning first-team All-Pro honors for the first time in his career this season after leading the NFL in sacks with 17.5.

As we’ve well learned, the Bengals tend to be allergic to giving NFL players their third contracts, though they’ve recently broken that trend (sort of) with Hendrickson. Initially signing Hendrickson to a four-year, $60MM contract, the Bengals opted to avoid having Hendrickson play with a looming contract year, extending their stud defender before the third year of his deal for an additional season at $21MM.

Similar conversations entailed the following year, with Cincinatti showing hesitancy to extend him a second time. This resulted in Hendrickson requesting a trade before this past season. Ultimately, Hendrickson played through the contract drama, though he remained a hot name in trade circle rumors throughout the year. With their season at an end, the Bengals made it known that they were willing to extend Hendrickson, though it’s unclear where their priorities stand as wide receiver Tee Higgins is poised to make serious money on the free agent market and fellow wideout Ja’Marr Chase is still angling for a monster extension.

Hendrickson’s time on McAfee’s show made a couple things clear. Firstly, whether it’s an extension or a trade, Hendrickson just wants the situation settled quickly. He’d rather not play on an expiring deal and doesn’t want negotiations bleeding into OTAs and training camp. Secondly, he really does not care if it’s solved with a trade; obviously, he’d like to stay with his teammates, but he has no problem being traded. Part of this may be due to frustration with the front office, who Hendrickson mentioned has been terrible with communication, as usual.

Hendrickson also mentioned that the team’s Pro Bowlers (himself, Chase, and Joe Burrow) would like to stay together. On a similar note, Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin recently noted that he felt a big issue with the team’s underperforming defense this year was the Bengals’ insistence to keep the core group of defenders from the team’s Super Bowl run together for “a little too long,” per Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Obviously, the Pro Bowler, Hendrickson, likely wasn’t a part of the issue, but this sentiment may impact Hendrickson’s contract talks.

Ultimately, signs could be pointing towards an exit for Hendrickson from the Bengals. Knowing the team’s tendency to favor young, cheap contracts and their poor communication, combined with Hendrickson’s lack of concern for how the situation get resolved, a trade seems like the easiest solution for Cincinnati. Especially considering that two straight career years for Hendrickson isn’t likely to make a new extension very cheap, it’s hard to imagine a situation in which the Bengals pay up for the 30-year-old. With Hendrickson’s desire for urgency, a resolution could be coming soon.

Bengals Willing To Extend Trey Hendrickson

January 29th, 2025 at 5:38pm CST by Adam La Rose

Much of the conversation around the 2025 offseason for the Bengals has been centered on the receiver position. Tee Higgins is a pending free agent while Ja’Marr Chase is (still) eligible for a monster extension.

Finding clarity in both of those cases will be critical as the team looks to return to the postseason in 2025. Improving on defense will be key in reaching that goal, and a number of roster moves could be on tap as a result. One defender Cincinnati would be well-served in retaining is Trey Hendrickson, though, and doing so would be dependent on reaching an extension agreement. The team is prepared to authorize a raise to work out a new deal.

“Has he earned a pay raise and a bump in an extension… he has,” Bengals player personnel director Duke Tobin said of Hendrickson in an interview with Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer. “We’re cognizant of that, and we will give that to him. But whether we agree on what that looks like is, is what is to be determined.”

Indeed, the latest round of negotiations could prove to be difficult given the history between team and player in this case. Hendrickson’s efforts to land a new deal (and accompanying raise) were unsuccessful last spring, and his trade request did not result in such a move being contemplated by Cincinnati. The 30-year-old did not engage in a holdout, though, electing to rely on his 2024 production to increase his leverage.

That plan certainly paid off. Hendrickson led the NFL in sacks with 17.5 this campaign, matching his career high in the process and earning first-team All-Pro honors. The four-time Pro Bowler is among the finalists for the Defensive Player of the Year award, and winning it could add further to his case for a pay bump. As things stand, 2025 is set to be the final year of his contract.

Hendrickson is currently due $16MM in compensation with a cap hit of $18.67MM. None of his base salary is guaranteed, and landing new locked-in money will of course be a central goal in negotiations. 10 edge rushers are attached to a deal with a larger annual average value than Hendrickson’s, and the top of the market could soon change with Myles Garrett and T.J. Watt likely to receive new contracts. Micah Parsons could move to the top of the pecking order provided he and the Cowboys work out an extension.

The Bengals sit 10th in projected 2025 cap space as things stand, although things will no doubt change on that front as the new league year approaches. Finding the room to accommodate a lucrative new Hendrickson pact will be challenging but – considering his output since arriving as a free agent in 2021 – it would likely prove to be a worthwhile investment.

Bengals Not Planning Any Deadline Trades

October 30th, 2024 at 6:21pm CST by Ben Levine

The Bengals currently sit at 3-5 and face an uphill battle to make the playoffs, and the front office isn’t planning to help (or hurt) the team’s aspirations. According to Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic, the organization doesn’t “have plans to make moves with the trade deadline approaching.”

As Dehner writes, the Bengals front office doesn’t have any intention of “waving the white flag,” but they also don’t intend to give up draft assets that may help them in the future. The organization believes there’s still a path to the playoffs with their current roster, and they’ll rely on their young pieces to patch any weaknesses.

Specifically, the team will be hoping for elevated play from 2023 first-round pick Myles Murphy and 2021 third-round pick Joseph Ossai on the edge, and they’ll be counting on second-round rookie Kris Jenkins to add some interior DL help opposite Sheldon Rankins and B.J. Hill. The team has also made some OL tweaks via the practice squad circuit, and Dehner believes they’ll continue to tap into that well moving forward.

Similarly, the Bengals won’t deal any of their popular trade candidates, including wideout Tee Higgins and defensive end Trey Hendrickson. As Dehner observes, the Bengals have been reluctant to make in-season sales. The team has sold off only a pair of disgruntled players over the past 13 deadlines: quarterback Carson Palmer in 2011 and defensive end Carlos Dunlap in 2020. Those players effectively had “hostile relationship[s] beyond repair,” and those issues aren’t apparent on this year’s squad.

Dehner also points to the lost 2019 season, when the Bengals refused to sell veteran wideout A.J. Green and veteran defensive tackle Geno Atkins despite clearly being out of it by the trade deadline. While the front office has changed their thinking on some antiquated mentalities (like their approach to QB contracts), Dehner believes the team will be stubborn with their deadline strategy…a factor that bodes well for Higgins and Hendrickson still being on the squad next week.

Trey Hendrickson Participating In Bengals’ Workouts; DE Addresses Contract Status

May 14th, 2024 at 9:48am CST by Adam La Rose

News came out of a Trey Hendrickson trade request one night before the opening round of the 2024 draft. The Pro Bowl edge rusher is seeking additional guarantees on his pact, which has two years remaining.

Neither the 2024 nor ’25 campaigns currently have guaranteed salaries scheduled. Hendrickson and the Bengals worked out a revision last offseason which upped his 2023 earnings and added $16MM in compensation for 2025. Coming off a career year, though, the 29-year-old met with the team to negotiate another top-up this March.

Talks on that front did not produce a deal, and Cincinnati made it clear to Hendrickson a trade would not be given consideration. Once the draft was over, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor confirmed the former Saints sack artist would remain with the team for 2024, something Hendrickson’s recent actions further point toward.

The former third-rounder is in attendance for the Bengals’ voluntary offseason workouts, an approach which runs counter to that which many other players employ while in the midst of a contract dispute. Hendrickson is still seeking a deal moving him closer to the top of the pecking order amongst edge rushers, but when speaking about his situation he noted the organization has been “transparent and respectful” in dealing with him. The FAU product also made it known he prefers to continue his career in Cincinnati.

“This is where separating business and the team is difficult. At what point am I contradicting what I want?” Hendrickson said (via the team’s website). “Long-term, winning games, all those things are what I want to do here in Cincinnati and removing myself from the team doesn’t help the team.”

Hendrickson notched 17.5 sacks last season, one in which he earned a third consecutive Pro Bowl nod. Across his three-year tenure in Cincinnati, he has racked up 39.5 sacks, cementing his status as one of the league’s top edge rushers. The $21MM AAV of his current deal ranks 11th at the position, however, which helps explain his desire for a raise (or assurances from the Bengals in terms of up front compensation). Regardless of how Hendrickson’s contract situation plays out, he is aiming to be able to rescind his trade request and remain with the team for years to come.

“My mindset is to win a Super Bowl and I think we’ve got the quarterback and the pieces to do it,” he added. “I want to be here a long time. I want to win football games and I want to bring a Super Bowl to Cincinnati.”

Bengals HC Zac Taylor Addresses Trey Hendrickson’s Trade Request

April 27th, 2024 at 10:26pm CST by Adam La Rose

On the eve of the draft, it was learned Bengals edge rusher Trey Hendrickson has requested a trade. At the heart of the issue is not a desire to find a new team but rather one for an adjustment to his contract, a pact which has two years years remaining.

Neither of Hendrickson’s bases salaries in 2024 and ’25 are guaranteed, and the three-time Pro Bowler is seeking a firm up front commitment from Cincinnati. Recent contract talks did not produce a new agreement (unlike last offseason), however, and team and player know where each other stand in this case. Following the draft, head coach Zac Taylor spoke about the matter.

“You let Trey voice his concerns. I’m listening. I’ve got an open ear to him,” Taylor said (via Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic). “I love Trey. I’ve told Trey that. We want Trey to play here next year for us. He’s gonna play here next year for us. He’s gonna have success, and we’re gonna have success and I’m excited for that.”

Indeed, Cincinnati has made it clear to Hendrickson the team will not seek out a trade partner. The 29-year-old thus faces the possibility of a training camp holdout or playing out the 2024 season as his contract is currently constructed. A short-term solution came about with a $5MM raise in 2023, and it will be interesting to see if a similar approach is used depending on how this situation develops over the coming weeks.

Regardless of Hendrickson’s stance, the Bengals’ lack of sack production led many to name edge rush as a position of need during the draft. Cincinnati filled a number of holes – including at right tackle and defensive line – but the team’s only investment at the defensive end spot was sixth-rounder Cedric Johnson. He will be counted on as a rotational option during his rookie year with Sam Hubbard and Hendrickson in place as starters. Based on Taylor’s stance, the latter can still be expected to be in the 2024 lineup.

Bengals’ Trey Hendrickson Requests Trade

April 24th, 2024 at 8:19pm CST by Adam La Rose

8:19pm: Hendrickson and the Bengals discussed a new extension in March, but those talks resulted in the team deciding against any adjustments, Dehner and Jeff Howe report (subscription required). Cincinnati has also conveyed to Hendrickson that no trade considerations will be made at this time.

Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer adds the former Saint still desires to continue his Bengals career on a deal providing him more security. Notably, however, she also reports Hendrickson is “not ruling out retirement” in the event no agreement can be worked out. Further developments on either front in this situation will be worth watching closely.

4:39pm: In the absence of a new deal, Bengals wideout Tee Higgins is known to be seeking a trade sending him elsewhere. The same is now true of edge rusher Trey Hendrickson.

The latter is aiming to be dealt, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. Hendrickson has two years remaining on his contract, but Schefter notes the Bengals have not been willing to meet his asking price on a new deal. Cincinnati will now have an interesting decision to make in this case on the eve of the draft. To no surprise, though, Paul Dehner of The Athletic adds the team has no intention of working out a trade.

Hendrickson joined the Bengals on a four-year, $60MM deal in 2021. He has proven to be a highly impactful member of the team’s front seven since then, earning a Pro Bowl nod in each of the past three years. Despite this past season not representing a walk year, team and player agreed to a one-year extension in July. That pact set Hendrickson up with a $5MM raise for the 2023 campaign and base salaries of $14.8MM and $15.8MM over the next two years.

Neither of those figures are guaranteed, though, and this news come as Hendrickson eyes another round of adjustments to his deal regarding up-front compensation. As Schefter’s colleague Jeremy Fowler notes, the 29-year-old has missed Bengals offseason workouts in each of the past two seasons amidst unrest regarding his deal. Hendrickson has posted 39.5 sacks in his tenure with Cincinnati, including a career-high 17.5 last season. The latter figure placed him a tie for second in the league.

In spite of Hendrickson’s success, the Bengals ranked just 17th in the league in sack production (the team’s second-leading rusher, Sam Hubbard, totaled six sacks). While that showcases the former third-rounder’s importance to Cincinnati, it could explain the team’s hesitancy in making a second long-term investment in him. In any case, the Bengals will be a team to watch closely as the rest of the offseason unfolds.

Despite the trade request, Higgins expects to play out the 2024 season in Cincinnati on the franchise tag. Provided the Bengals follow through on retaining Hendrickson, he too will be a key figure in the team’s efforts to return to the postseason this campaign. Nonetheless, it will be interesting to see if a notable draft addition is made along the edge this weekend with Hendrickson’s financial status still representing a potential issue.

Bengals Extend DE Trey Hendrickson

July 27th, 2023 at 10:35am CST by Sam Robinson

Trey Hendrickson was not entering a contract year, but the Bengals will push the defensive end’s current agreement into an additional season anyway. The team announced Hendrickson’s deal, via a one-year add-on, now runs through 2025.

The former Saints draftee signed a four-year, $60MM deal in 2021 and has become an impact player for the Bengals. This agreement will likely provide more guaranteed money for Hendrickson, and it stands to create some cap space for Cincinnati this year. The deal will indeed raise Hendrickson’s 2023 payout, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. ESPN’s Field Yates tweets that Hendrickson will earn $21MM in new money, including a $5MM raise this year and a $16MM payout in 2025 (2024 remains unchanged).

Hendrickson’s initial Cincy contract includes a $15.5MM 2023 cap number and a $17.5MM 2024 cap hit. Conversations about a new deal took place last year, per The Athletic’s Paul Dehner Jr., and an unexpected resolution emerged. With Jalen Hurts, Lamar Jackson and Justin Herbert having signed, the final QB extension domino resides in Cincinnati.

Joe Burrow and the Bengals have been in talks for months on an extension that almost definitely will make the former No. 1 overall pick the NFL’s highest-paid player. The Bengals also have Tee Higgins and Logan Wilson going into contract years. This Hendrickson agreement should help on these fronts.

Hurts, Jackson and Herbert each raised the AAV bar this offseason, with the Chargers quarterback setting it at $52.5MM on his Tuesday extension. It will be interesting if Burrow aims to create a bit of a gap between himself and the field, seeing as he has quarterbacked the Bengals to back-to-back AFC championship games — a franchise first — and changed the trajectory of a previously downtrodden team. Mike Brown has mentioned the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes model as a potential target, but no QB extension since has followed that path. Mahomes signed a 10-year, $450MM Kansas City extension in 2020, but only one passer since — Josh Allen — has even committed to six years.

As for Hendrickson, he has shown his Saints contract year was no fluke. After not producing much during his first three seasons, the former third-round pick totaled 13.5 sacks in 2020. He collected 14.5 sacks in his Bengals debut, adding 3.5 more during the team’s run to Super Bowl LVI. Last season, Hendrickson finished with eight sacks and 24 QB hits.

Although this agreement will increase Hendrickson’s 2023 earnings, it is interesting Florida Atlantic alum would sign off on pushing a $15MM-per-year contract beyond its previous endpoint. The edge rusher market will continue to rise, especially after Nick Bosa‘s upcoming extension, and Hendrickson could have increased his leverage by entering a contract year in 2024. A 2025 free agency trip could have certainly been lucrative, assuming Cincinnati’s top pass rusher keeps up his current pace. Hendrickson is now tied to the Bengals through his age-31 season.

Then again, Hendrickson was tied to a nonguaranteed 2024 payment and would have turned 30 before a potential free agency bid anyway. Now, the productive pass rusher — whose 2021 deal included just $16MM fully guaranteed — will pick up more cash while still in his prime.

Bengals Set To Face Challenge To Young Culture

June 10th, 2023 at 5:59pm CST by Ely Allen

The Bengals have established a pattern in recent years that show they prize youth and tend not to sign players to third contracts. After past days of paying staples like Geno Atkins, Carlos Dunlap, and A.J. Green, Cincinnati has flipped gears, allowing such mainstays as C.J. Uzomah, Vonn Bell, and Giovani Bernard to walk in favor of younger players. Center Ted Karras is the only starter currently in his 30s, and backups safety Michael Thomas and quarterback Trevor Siemian are the only others on the roster older than him.

This newfound aversion to paying players into their 30s will be put to the test in the next two years, according to Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic. Next year will be a contract year for cornerback Chidobe Awuzie, wide receiver Tyler Boyd, and defensive tackle D.J. Reader, all currently wrapping up their second contracts. The following offseason will see the pending free agency of defensive end Trey Hendrickson, as well. If recent tradition holds true, none of the four would don striped helmets in 2025. These four present a great challenge to the Bengals’ young philosophy.

Perhaps projecting this exact philosophy, Cincinnati used three draft picks on these positions, selecting pass rusher Myles Murphy in the first round, cornerback DJ Turner II in the second round, and wide receiver Charlie Jones in the fourth round. Jones doesn’t quite have the size to be an eventual replacement for Boyd, but Murphy and Turner seem like clear attempts to bolster the future at those two positions.

You’ll notice Reader didn’t have a possible replacement drafted. Dehner asserts that of all the aging players, Reader stands the best chance of returning on a third contract. Ever since arriving from Houston, Reader has played at another level for the Bengals. He’s a captain and the spirit of the team’s defense. Dehner asserts that the benefits of milking every last ounce of football talent out of Reader outweigh the risks of taking on a portion of his eventual decline. The Bengals may need some convincing, though, as interior defensive linemen rarely display top play into their 30s. Reader turns 29 at the turn of this month.

Hendrickson likely holds the spot as the next most-likely candidate for a third contract. An underrated addition when he came over from New Orleans, Hendrickson has been nothing short of a star in Cincinnati. He followed up an impressive contract year as a Saint with two straight Pro Bowl seasons, including one with 14.0 sacks. Hendrickson turns 29 this December, meaning the Saints will have to consider whether to bring him back for any of his 30s next offseason. Truly talented pass rushers are hard to come by, so if Hendrickson performs to his usual potential, it should be an easy decision for the Bengals. Any injuries or setbacks in production, though, could put his future with the team in jeopardy.

Of course, this is all purely academic as of right now. The Bengals recent moves could all be coincidental, or they could be working on a case-by-case basis with none yet meeting the requirements necessary to reach a third contract. Regardless, Reader, Hendrickson, Boyd, and Awuzie are all headed towards that eventual consideration. Will they be the first to buck the team’s recent trends or will Cincinnati’s roster continue to be one of the youngest in the league?

AFC Rumors: Ravens, Collins, Bengals, Henry

December 25th, 2022 at 10:34am CST by Ely Allen

Ravens defensive lineman Calais Campbell missed Sunday’sgame against the Falcons as he continues to deal with a knee injury suffered a week prior in the team’s loss to Cleveland, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. Yesterday’s absence was only his second of the season, an impressive showing for the 36-year-old who has showed a consistent sturdiness for his entire career.

The wording of Fowler’s tweet was a bit unclear. He stated that “Campbell could miss some time” due to the injury, which could be interpreted as a potential extended absence for the defensive leader. Fowler’s tweet, which came earlier this week, also questioned the status of this week’s game against the Falcons, indicating that perhaps the uncertainty of “could miss some time” was not pointed towards how much time he may miss but if he would miss time at all. Regardless, Campbell sat out Saturday’s game and, after the team clinched a playoff spot with a win, he may be able to take a little extra time to rest up for a postseason run.

The team also played without rookie outside linebacker David Ojabo yesterday. Nine months after a torn Achilles injury, Ojabo finally made his NFL debut against the Browns last week, playing one defensive snap and four special teams snaps. He wasn’t listed on the team’s injury report, but whatever Ojabo is dealing with, he returned back to the inactive list this week.

Here are a few other injury rumors from around the AFC, starting with two division rival players in Cincinatti:

Bengals tackle La’el Collins left Saturday’s win over the Patriots with a knee injury, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Reportedly, initial concerns were about an ACL injury, but the ligament is believed to be intact. The new understanding is that Collins’ kneecap shifted out and then back into place, resulting in the significant pain that required him to leave the game. More tests will follow to determine the severity of Collins’ knee injury.
Bengals pass rusher Trey Hendrickson started yesterday for the Cincinnati defense despite his broken wrist and likely plans to continue to start for the remainder of the season, according to Paul Dehner of The Athletic. Hendrickson reportedly confirmed that his wrist is broken but explained that “multiple doctors” told him that the injury cannot worsen. He has the ability to play through the injury with no need of a club; he will have full hand and finger mobility. As long as Hendrickson can manage and play through the pain, he will be able to continue contributing to the AFC North leaders.
Patriots tight end Hunter Henry left Saturday’s loss with a knee injury after only one drive, according to the team’s official Twitter account. Henry was unable to contribute to the box score before leaving. Henry, who has dealt with multiple knee injuries over his career, is considered day-to-day and will undergo further tests this week. If Henry misses any time, veteran tight end Jonnu Smith would be the next man in line for snaps. Unfortunately, Smith exited yesterday’s game with a concussion, so he, too, will have some work to do to play next week. If neither player can go when the team hosts the Dolphins next week, New England may have to turn to practice squad receiver Scotty Washington who is sometimes listed at tight end, as well.

Bengals DE Trey Hendrickson Suffers Broken Wrist

December 13th, 2022 at 10:38am CST by Ely Allen

DECEMBER 13: When speaking to the media about Hendrickson’s injury, head coach Zac Taylor did not rule him out for the team’s Week 15 matchup against the Buccaneers. He added that an IR stint (which would require at least a four-week absence) will not be forthcoming, meaning the Bengals are optimistic that a quick recovery will take place.

DECEMBER 11: The surging Bengals took a big hit today when their leading pass rusher, Trey Hendrickson, suffered a broken wrist during today’s win over the Browns, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Despite the injury, Hendrickson finished the game, ensuring a win for the Bengals.

Hendrickson currently leads the team in both sacks and quarterback hits with six and 22, respectively. Hendrickson combines with starting defensive end Sam Hubbard to form one the league’s more pressuring duos. Between the two, they total 11.5 sacks, 39 quarterback hits, and 16 tackles for loss. While Hendrickson’s pace of sack production has been slower than last season’s 14-sack performance, he is still a leader on Cincinnati’s defense and will be a tough player to replace.

Despite Hendrickson playing through the injury today, most believe the injury will hold him out for a few weeks. Without Hendrickson, the Bengals will turn to Joseph Ossai. A third-round pick who missed his rookie season with a meniscus injury last year, Ossai has done a decent job in relief work behind Hendrickson and Hubbard this season. Ossai has racked up two sacks, two tackles for loss, and five quarterback hits despite only playing about 25% of the team’s defensive snaps.

Cincinnati also rosters Cameron Sample and Jeff Gunter, who could be available to rush the passer in Hendrickson’s absence. The Bengals will hope to see Hendrickson return to play in time for late-season matchups against the Bills and Ravens that could very well decide the AFC North.

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