Cincinnati Bengals fans have been on pins and needles waiting for Trey Hendrickson‘s new contract to go through.
Hendrickson has been the team’s top defender for several seasons, a player who is recognized around the league as a highly-rated defensive end.
His contract issues with the front office were well-documented, and at several points, it looked like he was willing to walk away and join a new team.
Thankfully, a deal was just completed, tying Hendrickson to the Bengals for one more season.
Albert Breer broke this down in a recent post on X, indicating that the Bengals weren’t willing to give him any guaranteed money in the future.
They were, however, willing to give him a large raise for the 2025 campaign, a win-win situation for Hendrickson.
“The @Bengals wouldn’t give on future guarantees—despite offering a multi-year with an APY well into the 30s—so they get the benefit of the extra years of control from Trey Hendrickson. Hendrickson gets a richly deserved raise (from $16 million to $30 million) and his freedom after the season,” Breer wrote.
A compromise that makes sense …
The @Bengals wouldn't give on future guarantees—despite offering a multi-year with an APY well into the 30s—so they get the benefit of the extra years of control from Trey Hendrickson. Hendrickson gets a richly deserved raise (from $16 million… https://t.co/eoZWShLsbo
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) August 26, 2025
This assures him that the team believes in him for at least one more season, and that they can negotiate further leading into the 2026 campaign, assuming he holds up his end of the bargain on the field.
Now that this is out of the way, the Bengals can assume business as usual, picking up right where they left off.
This team is gearing up for a much better season than they had in 2024, a year that saw them miss the playoffs after a slow start.
The coaching staff recognized that they can’t start that slowly again, which is why most of their starters played in the preseason, if only for a few snaps.
With any luck, they can start the season hot and be the AFC juggernaut that many believe they can be.
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