Trey Hendrickson is one of the best defensive ends in the NFL. However, it seems like the Cincinnati Bengals do not agree with the price tag the player is putting on himself. This has been one of the biggest stories in the offseason and now a new update has emerged. Joe Burrow wants Hendrickson to get paid, but it hasn’t happened and next steps are being taken.
After T.J. Watt broke the market for edge rushers, Hendrickson might be looking for an even bigger paycheck. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, it’s not out of the question that Hendrickson sits regular season games unit a deal gets done.
Watt will earn $41 million a year and while Hendrickson might not get to that big of a payday, he surely deserves a bump. More importantly, what Pelissero said it’s key for the deal to be made is that the Bengals offer Hendrickson a multi-year deal. Hendrickson is not fond of free agency and contractual negotiations, so he wants stability.
They don’t come much better than Hendrickson
Last year alone, Hendrickson led the NFL in sacks with 17.5 and that’s the exact same number he had in 2023. That is sustained excellence. He has gone to four straight Pro Bowls since arriving in Cincinnati in 2021, and last year, he was an All-Pro. In a division where Cleveland has Myles Garrett, Baltimore has Kyle Van Noy and Pittsburgh has T.J. Watt, the Bengals can’t afford to lose Hendrickson.
If they don’t extend him, it’s not like there are many upgrades in the market. If there are, they are most likely untradeable or even more expensive that Hendrickson. Plus, their first-round pick, Shemar Stewart, is also holding out. Hence, Hendrickson does have the leverage here.
The Bengals can’t afford a worse defense than last year’s
In 2024, the Bengals missed the playoffs for the second consecutive year. That is failure to the highest of levels considering the roster they have. The reason that happened wasn’t because of the offense, which ranked 6th-best in scoring. It was the defense that wet the bed.
The defense allowed 25.5 points per game, ranking 26th out of 32 teams in the NFL. Basically, the Bengals forced Joe Burrow to win shootouts weekly, and even with him putting near-MVP numbers and Ja’Marr Chase winning the receiving Triple Crown (most catches, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns), it wasn’t enough.