Despite how ugly things have gotten in contract negotiations between the Cincinnati Bengals and star edge rusher Trey Hendrickson, the team remains optimistic.
With the Bengals kicking off training camp this week, owner Mike Brown revealed that he’s optimistic the two sides will be able to work things out.
“I think it’ll get done,” Brown said of an agreement with Hendrickson, according to ESPN’s Ben Baby.
Meanwhile, general manager Duke Tobin noted how important Hendrickson is to the team and is hopeful the contract standoff will soon come to an end.
“He’s an important part of our team… He’s a guy who has been very valuable. He has earned a raise and extension. We’ll see if we can come together on something,” Tobin said, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Hendrickson, who held out of mandatory minicamp, has expressed frustration with the process on multiple occasions. We’ll know for sure if he’s holding out for the team’s training camp when veterans report on Tuesday, but we’d expect he will.
Despite Tobin’s praise, his comments don’t jibe with the Bengals’ actual offer for Hendrickson, which was reportedly around $28 million per year.
For a player who has led the NFL in sacks since 2023 and won the sacks crown in 2024, that’s simply not good enough. At $28 million per, Hendrickson would rank eighth among edge rushers.
The fact of the matter is, the Bengals cannot mess this up. Hendrickson is extremely important for Cincinnati, especially given their struggles on defense in 2024.
