All-Pro defensive lineman Trey Hendrickson has spent his NFL career in the trenches, but now he’s entrenched in a different kind of battle — a contract standoff with the notoriously stingy Cincinnati Bengals front office.
All-Pro EDGE Trey Hendrickson Could Stay With Bengals Long-Term
The team permitted Hendrickson to seek a trade in March, but the two sides are reportedly gaining ground on a potential extension.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Thursday that the Bengals are open to negotiating a deal with Hendrickson.
"Trey Hendrickson made his point and I think it was received..
There has been some communication between Trey Hendrickson and the Bengals..
I would never rule out a trade but I think the Bengals wanna get a deal done" ~ @RapSheet #PMSLive https://t.co/SMzJL6gWFD pic.twitter.com/nVPZUAET9M
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow)
“[Hendrickson] made his point and I think it was received, very received. There has been some communication between the Bengals and Trey Hendrickson since that interview, since the draft. There have been talks,” he said.
The odds of Hendrickson getting dealt seemed to spike after the Bengals drafted his presumed replacement, Shemar Stewart, out of Texas A&M, with their first-round pick last month.
However, Rapoport clarified that Stewart could be viewed more as Hendrickson’s long-term successor, not someone expected to take over immediately.
“[The Bengals] picked Shemar Stewart off the edge, I think he understands that. I think they want to do a deal,” Rapoport said of the front office. “I would never rule out a trade because it’s the NFL and as we learned yesterday (from the George Pickens blockbuster), trades can happen literally at any moment … but I think they want to keep him.”
“I think they’re going to make moves. They haven’t yet. The Bengals sometimes function maybe different, maybe a little slower than some organizations, but they do want to keep him and do a deal,” he concluded.
Cincinnati also picked up a pair of linebackers — second-rounder Demetrius Knight Jr. from South Carolina and fourth-rounder Barrett Carter out of Clemson — making it clear that shoring up the defense was the front office’s top priority.
According to PFSN’s Defense+ metric, the Bengals’ defense ranked third-worst in the NFL last season, so that approach makes sense.
Keeping Hendrickson, who joined Ja’Marr Chase on the 2024 All-Pro First Team, would be a significant step toward real Super Bowl contention next season — especially with their star-studded offense, which closed 2024 as the seventh-highest rated unit in PFSN’s Offense+ metric.
But Cincinnati’s already splurged on extensions for Chase and Tee Higgins, so making room for Hendrickson — who could demand $30 million or more annually, in line with peers like Maxx Crosby ($35.5 million AAV) and Nick Bosa ($34 million AAV) — could be a challenge.
