The Cincinnati Bengals and star defensive end Trey Hendrickson’s bitter contract stand-off may finally have some good news surrounding it as talks have resumed between the sides.
For the first time in several weeks, the 30-year-old behemoth and his team, entering the final year of his current contract, are talking terms for his future.
Hendrickson led the NFL with 17.5 sacks last season and will earn $16million in 2025. Now, he wants to be paid in line with other top defensive tackles in the league, per ESPN.
The Bengals are not exactly strapped with cash with wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins recently signing new deals totaling a combined $276million.
Hendrickson does rank No 21 in terms of contract average among defensive lineman in the NFL, nearly half of what Cleveland Browns star Myles Garrett makes.
Garrett recently signed a contract extension with the Browns, making him $40million richer annually despite only amᴀssing one more sack than Hendrickson over the last three seasons.
Trey Hendrickson’s contract stand-off may finally have some good news surrounding it
Hendrickson and Cincinnati have resumed talks on a new contract for the defensive lineman
According to Bengals beat writer Kelsey Conway, Hendrickson has no plans to line up for the team until his contract demands are met.
Conway wrote on X Tuesday: ‘Trey Hendrickson just finished talking. Plenty of takeaways but most importantly, Trey Hendrickson said he won’t play the upcoming season on his current deal & wouldn’t say one or the other if he would sit out games’.
Earlier this week, Hendrickson revealed contract talks with Bengals officials have broken down as the two parties struggle to agree an extension.
‘No communication has taken place between my camp and the organization post draft,’ he told ESPN in a statement. ‘The offers prior to the draft did not reflect the vision we shared and were promised last offseason if I continued to play at a high level.
‘Coaches are aware of these past conversations,’ he continued. ‘Rather than using collaboration to get us to a point to bring me home to the team, THEY are no longer communicating. I have been eagerly awaiting a resolution of this situation, but that’s hard to do when there is no discussion and an evident lack of interest in reaching mutual goals.’
The Bengals did add another defensive end, Shemar Stewart, in the first round of last month’s NFL Draft, but lost another major talent at the position in Sam Hubbard, a Cincinnati native who retired in March.
Prior to the draft, Cincinnati gave Hendrickson permission to seek a trade, but within weeks those talks were off the table, according to Fox Sports NFL insider Jordan Schultz.
