Trey Hendrickson Rejects Bengals’ Latest Offers Without Future Guarantees
JULY 25: Hendrickson and the Bengals have indeed reached an agreement on the average annual value of an extension, Sportskeeda’s Tony Pauline reports. The issue remains the matter of guarantees, with Pauline adding Hendrickson’s asking price includes locked in money for the next three years. The question of when (or if) a compromise on this front will be made remains a central Bengals storyline as training camp continues.
JULY 23: Trey Hendrickson spent the last month in Cincinnati, working out to prepare for the season and hoping the Bengals would finally offer an acceptable contract extension.
Instead, he has retreated to Florida to commence a long-threatened holdout as the rest of the team begins training camp.
During a recent press conference, Bengals owner Mike Brown and de facto general manager Duke Tobin struck an optimistic tone about the state of negotiations with Hendrickson. Behind the scenes, however, the team still refused to meet Hendrickson’s core demands regarding length and guarantees. Neither of the Bengals’ two most recent offers included guaranteed money past the first year, per The Athletic’s Diana Russini.
Hendrickson received and rejected both offers in a 24-hour span before packing his bags and following through on his threat to hold out from training camp.
“I wanted to be there,” said Hendrickson (via Russini), “but there’s no way I would be able to sit there in the house and hear the practice whistles while also being a distraction. I don’t want to ruin the other 10 guys’ 2025 season on my contract language.”
Length and guarantees remain the main obstacle to a deal, suggesting that the two sides have been able to find a middle ground on APY. Hendrickson has emphasized that he is not demanding a market-resetting figure, something he reiterated in his interview with Russini.
“I was more than willing to take less in some ways in order to make a deal work,” explained Hendrickson, who expressed a desire to be a team captain and help mentor his younger teammates, including first-round pick and fellow holdout Shemar Stewart. But none of that can begin until and unless the Bengals meet Hendrickson’s demands, or at least enough of them to convince him to put pen to paper and get back on the field.
Despite the prolonged stalemate, Hendrickson is not expected to be traded, according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer (via ESPN Chicago). Hendrickson told Russini that he wants to be in Cincinnati and knows the team feels the same way, something both sides have been consistent about throughout the offseason.
Bengals’ Trey Hendrickson Begins Training Camp Holdout
10:38pm: The latest round of negotiations between Hendrickson and the Bengals has proven to be “very contentious,” NFL insider Jordan Schultz reports. He adds Monday’s talks did not yield progress, and it remains to be seen at this point when communication between the parties will open again. A lengthy holdout could very well be in store. He has since landed on the Bengals’ reserve/did not report list.
9:49am: Trey Hendrickson has long loomed as a candidate to skip the start of training camp. With the Bengals preparing to begin padded practices, the reigning sack leader is indeed absent. 
Hendrickson informed ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Tuesday that he has elected to hold out from training camp. As a result, he will begin accruing mandatory daily fines while extension talks continue. Owner Mike Brown struck an optimistic tone yesterday when speaking to the media about the Hendrickson situation. For at least the time being, however, this stalemate will continue.
A native of Orlando, Hendrickson posted on Instagram that he has returned to Florida in the absence of an agreement. The 30-year-old has maintained since the spring that he is prepared to not only hold out of training camp but into the regular season if no extension is worked out. Several weeks remain to see if that will end up taking place, but today’s expected update is another indication this situation is not in a good place. To date, the Bengals have yet to offer a deal in the $35MM-per-year range and the team’s preference is to add one year to Hendrickson’s current pact.
Of course, guarantees are a key sticking point in negotiations. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports Cincinnati is willing to authorize a multi-year pact which includes a “substantial raise” compared to the $16MM Hendrickson is currently owed for 2025 (video link). The issue, to no surprise, is the four-time Pro Bowler’s desire to secure guarantees for 2026 “and beyond” and thus match what a number of other edge rushers have received on that front this offseason with their new deals. T.J. Watt is the most recent pass rusher to reset the market, and his new Steelers pact includes $108MM fully guaranteed along with a record-breaking cashflow for non-quarterbacks.
It would come as a major surprise if Hendrickson were to match Watt in terms of base or locked in earnings on his next pact. Nevertheless, an increase in guarantees will likely be needed to get a deal done. During today’s episode of Good Morning Football, Manti Te’o said he has spoken with Hendrickson, who described the Bengals’ offers regarding guaranteed money as “atrociously, atrociously low” (h/t Rapoport’s colleague Tom Pelissero).
The Bengals are certainly no stranger to contract drama leading up to the regular season. Tension with the likes of Joe Mixon, Jessie Bates, Joe Burrow, Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase over the past several years have created uncertainty about those players’ availability in time for Week 1. That will also be the case for Hendrickson unless a breakthrough can be made.
Bengals’ Mike Brown, Duke Tobin Address Contract Standoffs
On the eve of training camp beginning, Bengals owner Mike Brown and de facto general manager Duke Tobin spoke to the media. To no surprise, the status of the ongoing contract standoffs with Trey Hendrickson and first-round rookie Shemar Stewart were a main topic of discussion. 
Hendrickson has been among the numerous high-profile edge rushers seeking a new deal this offseason. Some – including T.J. Watt, Myles Garrett and Maxx Crosby – have inked lucrative extensions while others are still in negotiations. Contract talks with Hendrickson’s camp have been on and off, and with camp looming an artificial deadline exists for an agreement to be reached.
“I’m not going to go into details of negotiation but I think we’re in a good spot and hopefully something is done soon,” Brown said when speaking about the Hendrickson situation (via Jay Morrison of Sports Illustrated). The reigning sack leader is not expected to have an agreement in place by the start of camp this week, and a holdout lasting into the regular season has been on the table for some time.
Unlike last offseason, the Bengals granted Hendrickson permission to seek a trade amidst contract talks. Offers came in but did not reach the team’s asking price. Cincinnati has not yet submitted a known offer averaging $35MM per year (a figure which would now rank fifth amongst pass rushers in the wake of Watt’s new Steelers accord). The team reportedly prefers a one-year extension which would keep the 30-year-old in place through 2026, whereas Hendrickson is seeking longer term on his third career contract. It will be interesting to see if Brown’s optimistic tone winds up being a sign that a deal is close.
On the Stewart front, meanwhile, little if anything has changed. The Texas A&M product did not report with the team’s other rookies to training camp, something which comes as no surprise given his absence from on-field work during the spring. The heart of the issue between Stewart and the Bengals remains contract language which would void all remaining guarantees on his deal in the event of an off-field issue. Historically, the team has not used such language and Stewart continues to hold out for a pact matching the ones signed by Cincinnati’s two most recent first-round picks.
“I’m not going to blame Shemar,” Tobin said (via The Athletic’s Paul Dehner Jr.) in relation to the stance taken by agent Zac Hiller. “He is listening to the advice he is paying for. I don’t understand or believe or agree with the advice but I’m not the one paying for it. If I felt we were treating him unfairly as it relates to all the other draft picks in this year’s draft then maybe it would be a different story. But we are not. I don’t really understand where things are there.”
Hiller responded by informing Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio that Tobin has not been involved in contract talks with Stewart. As animosity between team and player continues, ESPN’s Ben Baby reports the percentage of second-round pick Demetrius Knight‘s signing bonus being paid up front – something which was no doubt a factor in an agreement being reached – has not yet been offered to Stewart. Neither side appears willing to budge at this point with padded practices set to commence.
In 2025, the Bengals will aim to return to the postseason with an offense widely seen as being among the league’s best. Their defense remains a question mark entering the campaign, though, and the unit will no doubt remain the subject of scrutiny until deals with Hendrickson and Stewart are complete.
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.
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.
Other Edge Rush Deals Could Alter Price On Trey Hendrickson Bengals Extension
While Trey Hendrickson and the Bengals have resumed extension talks, the parties still do not appear to close to an agreement. With other monster edge rush deals looming, a waiting game could ensue which has an impact on the 2024 NFL sack leader.
[RELATED: Bengals Prefer One-Year Hendrickson Extension]
Micah Parsons has yet to sign a Cowboys extension, one which could move him to the top of the pecking order amongst edge rushers (and, quite possibly, all non-quarterbacks). At the age of 26, Parsons is preparing to land his second career contract. That factor makes his situation somewhat different than that of Hendrickson or Steelers All-Pro T.J. Watt.
The latter is entering his age-31 season, something which is also the case for Hendrickson. Both could be looking at similar deals with their respective teams as a result. With training camp approaching, though, considerable work on both fronts is still needed to hammer out an agreement. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero noted during a recent Rich Eisen Show appearance (video link) that Hendrickson could aim to wait for Watt’s deal in particular (and perhaps Parsons’ as well) before signing his own with the Bengals.
Unlike last offseason, Cincinnati gave Hendrickson permission to seek a trade. Offers came in, but the team’s asking price of a first-round pick (or a package of similar value) was not met. No trade is currently expected, although it remains to be seen if the four-time Pro Bowler will report to training camp in the absence of an extension. Hendrickson skipped mandatory minicamp, drawing fines in the process. The same would be true if he were to engage in a training camp holdout.
Pelissero confirms Hendrickson is not seeking to match the value of Myles Garrett‘s Browns extension (which checks in at a market-topping $40MM per season on average). The Bengals’ best known offer to date has not reached the $35MM-per-year mark, a value which would place him in the next financial tier for veteran pass rushers. Watt could also be in line for a Steelers pact worth roughly that amount if/when he and the team can reach agreement on a third pact.
In each of these cases, there is still time to avoid potential absences or missed practice reps during training camp. With the EDGE market positioned to move once more late in the offseason, though, it will certainly be interesting to see how one deal affects the others. Given Hendrickson’s impact on a Bengals defense which struggled even with him in place last season, he could especially look to leverage the Watt situation for a multi-year commitment.
Bengals, Trey Hendrickson Not Close To Extension Agreement
One week ago, Trey Hendrickson and the Bengals resumed talks on an extension. Without any new progress being made on that front, though, a number of issues are yet to be resolved.
Finances – including, no doubt, guarantees – have proven to be a sticking point between team and player in this years-long saga. In addition, it appears the length of any extension agreement is not a factor the parties can agree on. A gap exists between Hendrickson and the Bengals on this front, ESPN’s Adam Schefter noted during a recent Pat McAfee Show appearance (video link).
Cincinnati’s preference at this point would be a one-year deal, per Schefter. Such an arrangement would keep Hendrickson on the books through the 2026 campaign. The sides have already agreed to a stop-gap deal once before, but the reigning sack leader is understandably seeking a longer term on his next pact. As things stand, Hendrickson is owed $16MM; much of that figure is comprised of a base salary which is not guaranteed.
The four-time Pro Bowler skipped minicamp and has threatened to remain away from the team into the regular season in the absence of an extension agreement. Hendrickson’s exact asking price is unknown, but a pact around the $35MM mark in terms of AAV would move him near the top of the pass rush market (something which will likely continue to move upward once some or all of Micah Parsons, T.J. Watt and Aidan Hutchinson ink their new deals). To date the Bengals have not been willing to offer a pact in the range of what Danielle Hunter ($35.6MM), Maxx Crosby ($35.5MM) or Nick Bosa ($34MM) are attached to in terms of annual earnings.
Hendrickson has amassed 57 sacks in 63 games with Cincinnati, notching 17.5 in each of the past two seasons. The former Saint’s trade request was denied last offseason, but the Bengals took a different stance in 2025. Offers came in, although the team’s asking price was not met. As the countdown to training camp continues, a trade would come as a surprise to many around the league.
Cincinnati finished in a tie for 25th in sacks despite Hendrickson’s production, an illustration of his importance to the team. Age will be a key factor in negotiations with the 30-year-old, who was informed by the team last year another strong campaign would be met with a new deal. The Bengals have managed to hammer out monster agreements with wideouts Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins this offseason, but nothing is imminent as it pertains to Hendrickson.
A training camp absence would result in mandatory fines, whereas a hold-in effort would be a mark of ongoing issues at the negotiating table. It will be interesting to see if progress can be made regarding term length and, if so, whether or not that helps bring about a final agreement.
Latest On Bengals’ Standoffs With Trey Hendrickson, Shemar Stewart
JUNE 15: The Bengals have reopened contract talks with Hendrickson, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. While that is no guarantee that a deal will get done, Hendrickson has criticized the team for the lack of communication in the past, so this would appear to be a positive step in negotiations.
JUNE 14: There is no end in sight to the Bengals’ dual contract standoffs. First-round pick Shemar Stewart left Cincinnati on the last day of mandatory minicamp, while All-Pro Trey Hendrickson remains away from the team as he fights for a new deal.
Hendrickson is “very much dug in on his position” and will not sign a one-year extension, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (via the Rich Eisen Show). The veteran edge rusher is not seeking to eclipse Myles Garrett‘s $40MM APY, but wants something just above $35MM per year in the range of Maxx Crosby and Danielle Hunter. Hendrickson is also looking for a stronger commitment from the Bengals in terms of length and guaranteed money.
Stewart, meanwhile, remains steadfast in his opposition to a specific clause that would void the remaining guarantees in his contract if he were to default in one year. That language is different than the contracts offered to the Bengals’ last two first-round picks, but it is the same as the majority of first-round picks around the league, including the players drafted right before and after Stewart, according to Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic. At least one person inside the organization believes that the language used with Amarius Mims and Myles Murphy would have the desired voiding effect in case of a default, per Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio.
The Bengals have options to end both disputes. They could obviously change the terms of Stewart’s deal to match those of Mims and Murphy, or they could offer him something elsewhere in the contract. Given that first-round picks all have fully-guaranteed deals with preset slot values, Cincinnati’s options in that regard are slightly limited. They could give Stewart more of his money up front via an accelerated payment schedule for his signing bonus or bigger training camp roster bonuses.
For Hendrickson, the Bengals will have to meet his demands in some form or fashion. He is currently set to earn $16MM in non-guaranteed money this year, which will not be enough to get him on the field. A two-year extension worth $71.5MM would slightly outpace Crosby and Hunter, and guaranteeing his 2025 and 2026 compensation should get him upwards of $50MM in guaranteed money.
It’s unclear if that would get a deal done, but Pelissero said that the Bengals have “talked about a variety of options over the past several weeks.” He still expects the two sides to reach an agreement on multi-year extension, but there’s no timeline to getting a deal done.
Trey Hendrickson Absent From Bengals’ Minicamp
Tuesday marked the beginning of the Bengals’ mandatory minicamp. In a development which comes as little surprise, the team’s top remaining extension priority is absent.
Edge rusher Trey Hendrickson is away from the team, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. The reigning sack leader has been engaged in a long-running stalemate with Cincinnati over an extension. One year remains on his contract, but planned talks on a major raise have not resulted in much progress toward an agreement.
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The most recent effort on the Bengals’ part came when the team reached out to Hendrickson’s camp yesterday, per Dianna Russini of The Athletic. She adds, though, that the latest communication between the parties did not yield traction on the extension front. Head coach Zac Taylor previously alerted Hendrickson to the threat of fines for skipping this week’s minicamp. That move prompted a public airing of grievances from the All-Pro, who said last month he will not play under his existing pact.
Plenty of time remains to see if that will end up holding true, but team and player are not in a favorable position at this point. Hendrickson was unable to generate talks on a new deal last offseason, and the Bengals dismissed the trade request which followed. The 30-year-old upped his leverage with a second straight 17.5-sack campaign in 2024, although his stance of preferring to remain in Cincinnati has no doubt hindered his efforts to approach the top of the EDGE market.
$40MM per season now represents the ceiling for the position’s market. It is unclear what Hendrickson and his camp have listed as an asking price, but it was recently reported the Bengals have yet to offer a pact at or around $35MM on average. Cincinnati has already committed to big-ticket receiver deals this offseason (with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins each receiving four-year contracts), and Hendrickson always represented the No. 3 priority on that front.
Unlike 2024, the four-time Pro Bowler received permission to seek a trade this offseason. Plenty of interest has been shown, but at this point a deal sending him out of Cincinnati is not expected. With Hendrickson due to collect $16MM as things stand, a holdout will remain on the table in the absence of progress on an extension agreement. Presuming he remains absent for all three days of minicamp, Hendrickson will be subject to over $104K in fines.