Feb 6, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; Trey Hendrickson on the red carpet before Super Bowl LIX NFL Honors at Saenger Theatre.

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Trey Hendrickson and the Bengals Still Far Away From a Potential Extension

Trey Hendrickson is due a bag, but will he get it in Cincinnati?

Feb 6, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; Trey Hendrickson on the red carpet before Super Bowl LIX NFL Honors at Saenger Theatre.

Cincinnati came into this offseason with multiple key players needing to sign new contract extensions. Quarterback Joe Burrow remained adamant he wanted both his WR1 and WR2, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to remain with the team. Burrow even restructured his contract to help the Bengals strike a deal with both players and eventually Cincinnati delivered by signing them to massive contracts making Chase the highest-paid non-QB and Higgins the highest-paid WR2 in the league.

However, the Bengals have only taken care of the offense and a large question mark looms over their defense. Already facing severe criticism for their defensive woes in the 2024 season, Cincinnati is yet to strike a deal with their superstar defensive end Trey Hendrickson who is looking for his big payday. Hendrickson, who is 30 years old and who is an 8-year veteran in the league is holding off on signing a contract as this will in all likelihood be his last chance at earning a bag.

Where Do Things Stand Between Hendrickson and the Bengals?

This standoff between last season’s sack king and the Bengals does not bode well for the franchise as Hendrickson was the only shining light in an otherwise mediocre defense that gave up way too many yards and points to opponents for their liking. Incidentally, when the Bengals’ executive vice president Katie Blackburn was asked about Hendrickson’s contract update at the owners’ meeting, her comments lead us to believe that a deal may not be close to being finalized.

“I think he should be happy at certain rates that maybe he doesn’t think he’d be happy at,” Blackburn said. “I think some of it is on him to be happy at some point and if he’s not, you know that’s what holds it up sometimes. So you know it takes him to say yes to something and also we have all the respect in the world for him, he’s been a great player we’re happy to have him, and so maybe we’ll find a way to get something to work. We’re just going to see where it goes.”

Following these remarks by Blackburn, sports analyst, and former Colts punter Pat McAfee invited the 4-time Pro Bowler to his ‘Pat McAfee Show’ to get his thoughts on the latest developments surrounding his contract talk. Hendrickson stated his obvious disappointment with the way things are heading and indicated poor communication from the Bengals front as a reason the contract talks have stalled.

“That was a little disappointing because communication has been poor over the last couple of months you know. That’s something that I, I hold in high regard um you know they have not communicated with my agent directly. It’s been something that’s been a little bit frustrating but again this is the business of it um you know I’m incredibly blessed to be in the NFL um you know I’m excited to be a Bengal”

"Those comments from Katie Blackburn were definitely disappointing & communication has been poor over the last couple of months..

It's been a little bit frustrating & if they have anything they'd like to discuss we're definitely willing to listen" ~ Trey Hendrickson #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/C9PUdfKewj
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) April 2, 2025

What Should a New Deal for Hendrickson Be Worth?

Signing three stars of your team to massive contracts in one go is not something teams are tasked to do very often. Unfortunately for Cincinnati, they have no other option and with Chase and Higgins already signed, the last man remaining is their star defender.

Currently, Hendrickson will be making around $21 million with his $5 million signing bonus. That figure is nowhere near the range top pass rushers such as Myles Garrett and Maxx Crosby are making with their new deals who are both going to pocket a handsome $40 million and $35.5 million per year respectively. Hendrickson has all the right in the world to demand a multi-year deal within the same range of the highest-paid players at his position but that seems like a challenge the Bengals may not be able to meet despite their best efforts.

As for Bengals fans, they would like nothing more than to see Hendrickson earn the big bucks and remain with the team for years to come. However, these latest remarks from their executive VP will not sit well with the fanbase.

Also Read: Highest Paid Non-QBs in the NFL: Ja’Marr Chase Leads the Pack Over Myles Garrett and Maxx Crosby!

Cincinnati Bengals

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Trey Hendrickson

Devavrat Kulkarni

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I am a content writer for the NFL team, and joined The Playoffs after working with Sportskeeda and NFL Analysis as an NFL writer. After starting my professional career as a French-to-English translator, working as a content writer is a new adventure for me. I started out in the sports media field for two main reasons: my love for sports in general, especially the NFL, NBA, and Tennis, as well as my passion for writing. The best part of this job is that I get to write a variety of pieces with the freedom to explore content from various angles. It also enables me to stay up to date with the sporting world, which otherwise can be difficult to do in the day-to-day grind. In a world full of chaos, sports unite and entertain like nothing else!