Trey Hendrickson and the Cincinnati Bengals have taken a negative turn in their relationship through this offseason. Hendrickson, the team's defensive force off the edge, has campaigned on a contract extension for months.
He watched teammates Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins get paid handsomely this spring. Chase became the highest paid non quarterback, now earning $161 million on this new deal.
Hendrickson has not asked for that figure but he wants to get his due. Things were dicey coming out of the combine and heading into the NFL Draft.
Now, they have hit a new low after Hendrickson revealed that the team has cut off extension talks completely. He released a statement regarding the situation Monday morning.
“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 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.”
As a result? Hendrickson seems angry. The Bengals seem dishonest.
And Cincy fans seem to have a reason to panic.
Hendrickson posted 17.5 sacks for the second season in a row, helping him land a spot on the first team All-Pro. Chase's own brilliance last season saw him claim the same honor though only one of the two has earned an extension.
Looking back at the sequence of events, the comments from Bengals executive Katie Blackburn (suggesting that Trey should choose to be happy with what he gets) did not help and the first-round pick of Shemar Stewart certainly raised the temperature of this matter.
With Joe Burrow, Chase and Higgins eating up significant cap hits over the coming years, the Bengals do have their challenges in making the numbers fit comfortably.
Regardless, with one side away from the table, it appears there will be no progress in the foreseeable future.