Trey Hendrickson finally got what he's wanted this whole offseason: a raise from the Bengals.
After months and months of disagreement on his contract, Hendrickson and Cincinnati reached an agreement on the star edge rusher earning $14 million raise on his salary for the 2025 season, boosting it up to $30 million.
For the first time all offseason, Hendrickson practiced with his fellow teammates on the field on Wednesday since his contract holdout is now officially over—for this year, at least. He can finally solely focus on another goal he wants to achieve every season: sacking quarterbacks.
"Not that I didn't enjoy coaching, but that's not what I'm here to do," Hendrickson said, via ESPN's Ben Baby. "[I'm] looking forward to getting after quarterbacks."
Hendrickson is the NFL's reigning sack leader, so he'll of course be looking to take down quarterbacks again this season. But, it does help to get some practice sessions in with his Bengals teammates before the regular season officially commences.
Overall, Hendrickson is grateful that he could reach an agreement with Cincinnati on his contract so he can get back to work with his team.
"This compromise comes with a great amount of respect for me towards them," Hendrickson said. "I'm incredibly honored and appreciative that I can play football at this level."
As for the future, though, Hendrickson admitted the two sides will take it "one day at a time" since he will now become an unrestricted free agent in 2026. For the time being, Hendrickson will focus on sacking as many NFL quarterbacks as he can.
The Bengals' regular season will start on Sunday, Sept. 7 against the Browns.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Trey Hendrickson Reveals His Next Order of Business Now That He Has a New Contract.
