Things have gotten ugly between All-Pro edge rusher Trey Hendrickson and the Cincinnati Bengals.
Arguably the Bengals’ most dominant defensive player, and the anchor of a unit that played a starring role in Cincinnati missing the playoffs in 2024, Hendrickson has vowed not to play under the final year of his contract this fall as contract negotiations between the two sides of stalled.
Last week, Hendrickson revealed that the Bengals haven’t just cut off communications with himself and his agent but that head coach Zac Taylor informed him that he would be fined if he misses Cincinnati’s mandatory minicamp next month.
NFL Agents Set Lofty Market Value for Cincinnati Bengals’ Trey Hendrickson
Hendrickson posted 17.5 sacks for the second consecutive season in 2024, and is set to make $21 million this season, should he return to the field and play out the final year of his contract.
However, multiple NFL agents tell me they agree that Hendrickson is worth significantly more to the Bengals.
“We wouldn’t be for anything less than as close to $40 million as possible,” a veteran agent who represents top-tier pass rushers tells me, if he were advising Hendrickson.
Hendrickson’s contract saga is playing out against the backdrop of Myles Garrett and Maxx Crosby’s agreeing to colossal extensions this offseason, worth upwards of $123 million guaranteed and $91.5 million guaranteed, respectively, from the Browns and Bengals.
A second agent says he would take a hard line approach to get Hendrickson his due.
“If I represented him,” the agent tells me of Hendrickson. “We’d be sitting out until Week 11. Make them come to the table.”
Cincinnati can still use the franchise tag on Hendrickson after this season, which would tie him to the Bengals on another one-year contract for the 2026 campaign, paying him the average of the top-five highest-paid players at the position.
Whether the Bengals and Hendrickson ultimately strike a deal on a long-term pact remains to be seen, but both sides seem dug in at this point and the negotiations could be one of the biggest storylines across the NFL throughout the summer.
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