Mandatory Credit: Imagn Images

Trey Hendrickson and Bengals at an Impasse Over Contract Extension – Is This the End of Hendrickson’s Time in Cincinnati?

As contract talks stall, there is a good chance Hendrickson doesn't return this season

Mandatory Credit: Imagn Images

The contract extension saga between the Cincinnati Bengals and their defensive end Trey Hendrickson continues to boil over even as training camp has gotten underway.

While many of the top pass rushers in the league have been handsomely rewarded, Hendrickson and the Bengals remain locked with neither side seeming ready to budge.

Taking a look at what has transpired this offseason, the Raiders started things off by extending Maxx Crosby, who will now earn $35.5 million per year. The Browns extended Myles Garrett to $40 million annually, and the latest entry to the list is T.J. Watt, who signed for $41 million per year.

3.5 sacks tonight. 17.5 sacks on the season.

Trey Hendrickson was a BEAST for the @Bengals 💪 pic.twitter.com/Ul2vloeM85
— NFL (@NFL) January 5, 2025

Contract Standoff Due to Guaranteed Money

The Cincinnati Bengals could be in serious trouble with the way things are going as far as their defense is concerned. On the one hand, they have a first-round rookie defensive end, Shemar Stewart, who is the only first-round draftee yet to sign with his franchise.

On the other hand, they have a veteran pass rusher who has proved himself on the biggest stage, but whose demands the franchise is not ready to meet. The latest update on the topic from ESPN’s NFL insider Adam Schefter is that Hendrickson may not come back and play this year as he is unhappy with the Bengals’ offer.

Per Schefter, the issue with the contract is the part with guaranteed money. Having spoken to Hendrickson, Schefter claims that the defensive end is dejected that the Bengals are offering him just one year’s worth of guaranteed money, while his peers at the same position have all gotten three years’ worth of guaranteed money.

“The Cincinnati Bengals and Trey Hendrickson had the framework of an agreement. on a two-year deal. What held it up is the fact that the Bengals were willing to offer guarantees of only one year in money. And so when we look at these other pass rush deals that have gotten done this offseason with Max Crosby and Miles Garret and TJ Watt, every one of them had three years of guaranteed money.”

NFL sack leader Trey Hendrickson, in search of a new contract for the better part of two off-seasons, will not be reporting to training camp today with the rest of the Bengals, he told ESPN.

All along, Hendrickson has said he would not play under his current contract and he is… pic.twitter.com/rH5Ooxhm9a
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 22, 2025

Hendrickson Unlikely To Return Unless Extension Comes Through

And while Schefter stated the above on ESPN’s show, ‘First Take,’ on another show on ‘NFL Live,’ he also said that Hendrickson will not be at the Bengals training camp until the contract situation sorts out, and if it doesn’t, he will not return to Cincinnati this year.

“Trey Hendrickson insists he will not come in and play for the last year of this current contract that’s scheduled to pay him 16.5 million.”

Currently, Hendrickson is in Jacksonville and remains away from the team even though training camp has started. As told to senior NFL insider Dianna Russini, he and his wife are in Jacksonville as he doesn’t wish to be a distraction for his teammates.

EXCLUSIVE: Just spoke to Bengals pass rusher Trey Hendrickson, who is currently in Jacksonville, FL. For the last 30 days, he had been at his home in Cincinnati and training.

But as training camp approached, he and his wife decided to leave.

They received two offers in a… pic.twitter.com/evlSdeWlpK
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) July 22, 2025

The 2024 First-Team All-Pro has the third-most sacks in the league over the past four seasons. He has picked up 17.5 sacks in each of the last two seasons, and was the league leader from the 2024 season. However, among all the other top edge rushers, Hendrickson ranks 11th in terms of average annual salary.

The situation in Cincinnati is a dire one, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Despite having the league leader in sacks on the team, the Bengals struggled mightily on that side of the ball last year. Add to that the Bengals play in the AFC North, which is already one of the tougher divisions in the league.

Mandatory Credit: Imagn Images

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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!