ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler said recently said that talks between the Cincinnati Bengals and star defensive end Trey Hendrickson are “stagnant.” The Bengals have already taken care of wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and tight end Mike Gesicki, and now they’re hoping to turn their attention to Hendrickson by way of a contract extension or a trade.
“He has no intention of playing under his current contract, which has one year and $16 million left. He needs a new deal, but the Bengals have just simply not shown an eagerness to trade Hendrickson,” Fowler said Sunday on SportsCenter. “And there’s interest, there is trade interest from other teams trying to make this work, but it would take a really hefty trade package. Teams aren’t willing to do that and pay Hendrickson right now. So, as much as I want to go with the field, I still think they can work something out, Hendrickson and the Bengals, on a new deal. It’s been stagnant of late, it’s sort of stalled, but they have a couple of months at least to try to shake this out and get a new deal done.”
Fowler is correct in that teams are hesitant to give up the farm for a 30-year old player that they know they have to sign for big money.
Hunter’s contract could be the starting point
Aaron Wilson of Houston-based KPRC 2 thinks that Danielle Hunter‘s recent contract with the Houston Texans could be a good measuring stick for a Hendrickson contract. Posting on X, he says:
“Sources: #Texans strike one-year, $35.6 million extension with Pro Bowl edge Danielle Hunter @DHunt94_TX that includes a $20 million signing bonus for $54.1 million (98 percent) guaranteed in 2025, 2026 combined.”
He continues:
“Lot of good data points in #Texans $35.6 million extension for Danielle Hunter with $55.1 million two-year payout, $20 million bonus, 98 percent guaranteed for skill, injury, salary cap that could be beneficial for #Bengals Trey Hendrickson.”
Tom Pelissero of NFL Network agrees with this assessment.
“The edge market continues to explode and Danielle Hunter is the latest to cash in on a deal that keeps him in Houston through 2026. He made $29.5 million in 2024 and now gets $32M in 2025. Also … a potential aiming point for a Trey Hendrickson deal in Cincinnati?,” Pelissero posted on X.
Hendrickson may prefer a trade
Hendrickson has already requested a trade since the Bengals are clearly reluctant to pay him. If the Bengals were to sign Hendrickson to a deal similar to Hunter’s, the team would have roughly a whopping 40% for their 2025 salary cap tied up in four players (Burrow, Chase, Higgins, Hendrickson). Throw in Orlando Brown and his $15 million and it’s even more than that. That makes it awfully tough to field a competitive team when you still have many other holes to fill.
The Bengals are faced with three options:
-Sign Hendrickson to market value and tie their cap up in a handful of players.
-Bite the bullet and trade Hendrickson for less than what he’s actually worth.
-Do neither and face a Hendrickson “hold in” at training camp.
As Fowler said on ESPN, there isn’t any way that Hendrickson is going to play under his current contract.
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