Video from Sunday’s “Cincinnati’s Sports Show.”
CINCINNATI (WXIX) - The Bengals are not placing the franchise tag on star pass rusher Trey Hendrickson, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Hendirckson, 31, is now set to become a free agent.
Since arriving in Cincinnati in 2021, Hendrickson has been a star on the Bengals’ defense.
He made the Pro Bowl four consecutive times from 2021 to 2024 and was also a First Team All-Pro in 2024 after racking up a league high 17.5 sacks.
Following his standout 2024 season, Hendrickson began seeking a long-term contract from the Bengals.
The two sides were at odds from the start.
When the Bengals reported to training camp last July, Hendrickson was hundreds of miles away in Florida, signaling he was holding out for a new deal.
It was a brief holdout as eight days later, he decided to return to Cincinnati and report to training camp.
Hendrickson said ending the holdout was done as a “good faith gesture to try to jumpstart negotiations.”
He and the Bengals did ultimately reach a restructured deal that gave him a $14 million raise for the 2025-26 season.
Unfortunately for the Bengals and Hendrickson, his season was cut short, and the star pass rusher underwent season-ending surgery in December.
A surgery that many viewed as the end of his time as a Bengal.
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