The 30-year-old had asked for a trade last April after the organization informed him they would not discuss a new contract until the next offseason. He had just signed an extension the previous summer. When Hendrickson went on the Pat McAfee Show ahead of the Super Bowl last month, though, he said the Bengals had not yet discussed his contract situation with him or his representatives.
Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin said last week at the NFL Combine the front office was hoping to come to an agreement on a deserved raise and long-term deal for Hendrickson, who is entering the final year of this contract.
The Bengals' priority has been locking up wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase beyond his fifth-year option in 2025 and extending wide receiver Tee Higgins' contract.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Hendrickson being on the wrong side of 30 would also factor into how far the organization would be willing to negotiate.
“Trey’s super passionate and that’s exactly what makes him a great football player,” Tobin told reporters in Indianapolis. “He’s super engaged, and we’re cognizant of that. He’s been a great signing for us. We’ve been a great fit for him; he’s been a great fit for us. We would like to extend that. We would like to keep him not only happy but with us on a longer term basis. He’s under contract right now, and we’re gonna talk as the offseason goes and hopefully come up to an agreement that everyone’s acceptable of. But are we there yet? We’re not there yet.”
Hendrickson is coming off back-to-back seasons with 17.5 sacks, which was enough to lead the league in 2024, and he’s produced double-digit sacks in four of his last five seasons, only finishing with 8.0 in 2022 when he played the final five games with a fractured wrist, helping the team to the AFC Championship game for a second year in a row.
The Bengals had acquired him in free agency ahead of the 2021 season after a standout fourth season with New Orleans, and he came to Cincinnati looking to prove his 13.5 sacks in 2020 were no fluke. Hendrickson originally signed a four-year deal worth $60 million, but he and the Bengals agreed on a one-year extension in 2023 that was worth a total of $21 million, giving him an $8 million signing bonus and increasing his salary for that year by $5 million.
His cap hit of $18.67 million this year carries only $2.67 million in dead cash money.
“Ideally, my wife and I would love to stay in Cincinnati,” Hendrickson said on the Pat McAfee Show in February. “If it’s something that helps the Bengals win a Super Bowl, if they get picks or anything like that, I want to help win a Super Bowl for Cincinnati, whether I’m there or not.”
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