The Cincinnati Bengals are yet to agree on a new deal for star defensive end Trey Hendrickson, with last year’s sack leader growing restless at the lack of negotiations.
Will Trey Hendrickson stay in Cincinnati?
The Trey Hendrickson saga seems to have taken a dramatic turn this week, with the Cincinnati Bengals defensive end voicing his frustrations during a difficult offseason.
Initially the Bengals stated that they were willing to listen to offers for last year’s NFL sack leader when the season ended, but the franchise took a quick u-turn saying they were now looking to extend Hendrickson’s contract.
This was over two months ago now though and there has been no negotiations between the team and Hendrickson since.
“No communication has taken place between my camp and the organization post draft,” Hendrickson said, via a statement this week. “The offers prior to the draft did not reflect the vision we shared and were promised last offseason if I continued to play at a high level.”
Myles Garrett is another high level defensive end in the league and he put pen to paper on a $40million per year deal with the Browns this summer.
“Coaches are aware of these past conversations. Rather than using collaboration to get us to a point to bring me home to the team, THEY are no longer communicating.” Hendrickson continued.
Trey Hendrickson statement today to ESPN: “No communication has taken place between my camp and the organization post draft. The offers prior to the draft did not reflect the vision we shared and were promised last offseason if I continued to play at a high level. Coaches are… pic.twitter.com/2MKBL60ATg
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 12, 2025
“I have been eagerly awaiting a resolution of this situation, but that’s hard to do when there is no discussion and an evident lack of interest in reaching mutual goals.”
Hendrickson has played four seasons in Cincinnati, achieving over 13.0 sacks in three of those years. For the last two years Hendrickson has recorded 17.5 sacks.
Bengals prioritising offense again?
It seems that the Bengals have prioritised their offensive core in the offseason yet again, as they decided to shock everyone by keeping Tee Higgins, arguably the best WR2 in the league.
Of course with Higgins comes a huge price tag and wage bill, with the 26-year-old franchise tagged by Cincinnati before agreeing to a four-year, $115 million contract extension.
BREAKING: Bengals and WR Tee Higgins agree to four-year, $115M deal.
(via @tompelissero) pic.twitter.com/24iBfwa5XH
— NFL (@NFL) March 17, 2025
But it is the Bengals defense that cost them a spot in the playoffs last season, so the front office will be keen to resolve the Hendrickson contract saga as soon as possible.
