Trey Hendrickson
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Defensive end Trey Hendrickson of the Cincinnati Bengals.
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ow that the NFL Draft is over, teams are looking ahead to their offseason programs, where preparations for the 2025 season will kick into high gear. But for the Cincinnati Bengals, a contract dispute with one of their best players could severely hamper things. Trey Hendrickson, who has been a core piece during his tenure with the Bengals, commented on May 12 that he and the team are not communicating on a contract extension.
Speaking with ESPN insider, Adam Schefter, Hendrickson said that since the NFL Draft at the end of April, him and his brass have had zero discussions about a new deal, putting his future with the team in doubt.
Hendrickson’s Contract Situation
Since joining the Bengals prior to the 2021 season, Hendrickson has evolved into one of the league’s best pass rushers, earning four straight Pro Bowl trips from 2021-2024 and being named a first team All-Pro in 2023 and in 2024. Combining for 35 sacks the last two seasons, Hendrickson has proven to be one of Cincinnati’s marquee players. But while he has earned a big payday, it looks like the Bengals have been unable to meet any of the demands that he put forth for the negotiations.
“No communication has taken place between my camp and the organization post draft,” Hendrickson said in a statement to Schefter. “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 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. 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.”
Entering the final season of his contract, it remains to be seen if Hendrickson will hold out of team activities in order to land a new deal. And if he chooses to do that, he certainly has a good amount of leverage given his high level of play in recent seasons.
Hendrickson’s Impact on the Bengals
Drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the third round of the 2017 draft, Hendrickson went on to spend the first four seasons of his career in New Orleans, with his first three seasons seeing him be a key rotational piece. In his first season as a starter in 2020, he recorded 13.5 sacks in 15 games, earning himself a big payday from the Bengals. And in his first season with the Bengals in 2021, he wasted no time in making his impact known, helping the franchise earn its first Super Bowl trip since 1988.
But even his impact is not keeping the contract issues away. While Hendrickson has made it known that wants to stay in Cincinnati, he has expressed his disappointment at how bad the communication has been throughout the offseason. After Bengals’ executive vice president, Katie Blackburn, made a comment about Hendrickson, he went on The Pat McAfee Show last month and expressed his discontent with what she said.
“That was a little disappointing because communication has been poor over the last couple months,” Hendrickson said on the show. “That’s something I hold in high regard. They have not communicated with my agent directly. It’s been something that’s been a little bit frustrating.”