Cincinnati Bengals DE Trey Hendrickson
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Cincinnati Bengals Hall of Famer thinks team should sign DE Trey Hendrickson.
The Cincinnati Bengals were tied for the seventh-fewest sacks in the entire NFL in 2024 with 36. That’s not good, and it’s also not good that the man responsible for 17.5 (48.6%) of those is under contract, but doesn’t want to play for you.
It’s no secret that defensive end Trey Hendrickson wants a new contract. He has one year left on his deal that will pay him roughly $16 million this year. He’s woefully underpaid and even the Bengals – and their ex-players – know it.
Bengals’ Hall of Famer and nine-time, first-team All-Pro offensive tackle Anthony Munoz says it’s simply time to get Hendrickson paid.
“I think you have to sign him,” Munoz said Wednesday. “You have a proven chaotic, chaos, disturber in the backfield with all those sacks. We don’t have one of those guys right now. At least none of the guys have proven to do that, so we need to sign Trey, get him in there, and get him ready to go up by the lake for the first game (at Cleveland).
“And I was going to say, get after the quarterback. I don’t know who they’re going to have as a quarterback. They got five or six up in Cleveland, but I think you need to sign. I think you need to sign Trey.”
Anthony Munoz thinks Hendrickson is valuable off the field too
Part of the problem the Bengals have with giving Hendrickson a new contract is that he’s 30-years old. That’s not ancient, but they are afraid he’ll fall off of a cliff in a few years.
That’s one way to look at it and that’s fair. But, his age also means he’s experienced and could be an extremely valuable leader in the locker room. After playing in the NFL for 13 years (all with Cincinnati), Munoz would know a thing or two about that.
“A lot of people just think maybe on the field, but it’s off the field in the locker room where a guy like Trey can be very helpful to not only a young guy like Stewart, but the whole defense,” Munoz said. “And so you’re gaining more than just a, a great pass rusher. You’re gaining someone who can have an impact in the locker room.”
Munoz isn’t the only former Bengals superstar that wants Hendrickson signed
In 2001, the Bengals spent a second-round pick on a wide receiver out of Oregon State. As it turns out, Chad Johnson was an incredible player for a long time and – if you didn’t notice – he’s quite outspoken. Count Ochocinco among the former Bengals that wants to see Hendrickson get his money and contribute.
“And I’m hoping, I’m hoping, because defensively we need all hands on deck,” Johnson said last week. “We need all the help we can get. Trey Hendrickson had a hell of a year last year and the year before. I would love for him to be compensated as such.”
Whether or not the Brown family and other members of the Bengals’ organization put much stock into what their former superstars think is anyone’s guess. They should, but as Johnson says, you can’t bully Mike Brown.
“One thing I know about the Brown family — you’re not going to bully Mike Brown,” Johnson said on Nightcap. “It’s not happening. If his feet are cemented and he says, ‘This is what we can do, and this is what we can pay,’ that’s what it’s going to be. You know?”