The Bengals have a very complicated history with star defensive end Trey Hendrickson. After signing his initial four-year, 60-million-dollar contract with the team in 2021, he played extremely well and some might say he even outplayed that deal. Then in 2023 he and his agent negotiated a one-year deal that gave him a $5 million raise for 2023 and $16 million increase in pay for 2025.
Unfortunately, incremental raises were stopgap solutions that never solved the overall problem. Namely, that Trey Hendrickson wanted a long-term contract at what he believed to be a fair market price. That conflict reared its ugly head in the form of holdouts and trade requests in both 2024 and 2025.
It wasn’t as ugly as other contract disputes that we saw (Micah Parsons comes to mind). But there was clearly a friction there, both for the team and the fans. That was the last thing a team like the Bengals needed, especially given their slow starts to prior seasons, as well as the fact that Hendrickson was only viable pass rusher on the roster. And when he’s been on the field, there’s been no question that he’s been an impact player. Hendrickson has totaled 61 sacks in 72 games with the Bengals. Last season he led the NFL with 17.5 sacks.
Ultimately, the fact that a deal got done for at least 2025, gave some hope that Trey could help bolster the defense. We all believed it couldn’t have been any worse than the 2024 version that was 25th in the league in both points per game and total yards allowed. But how wrong we were.
Joe Burrow’s injury understandably changed the trajectory of the 2025 season. It was tailspin inducing, and Jake Browning couldn’t stop the bleeding. But then hope arrived in an admittedly brilliant move by the front office, the acquisition of Browns quarterback Joe Flacco.
Though Joe Flacco’s play has been brilliant, it hasn’t been enough to save the Bengals season. That’s due mostly to the team having the league’s worst defense. By many measures it’s been the worst unit in the past 25 years. And Trey Hendrickson has played only a handful of snaps in the last two games before the bye week.
Before the trade deadline, there was a sense that the season appeared to be slipping away, and that no one player could rehabilitate the hopeless defense. And so it was understandable to wonder whether Cincinnati might look to ship Hendrickson off while he had value. But that was just the problem.
The rumors were that the Bengals wanted a first round pick for their star pass rusher. But no team came close to paying such a high price. In fact, the most they were offered was a fourth-round draft choice. The Bengals wisely did not accept such a lowball offer.
But the larger issue is that it’s clear that absent a big turnaround, the league does not see Trey Hendrickson’s value at nearly the level he and the Bengals do. With his contract expiring after this year, the Bengals have options. They can apply the franchise tag, or they can let him walk.
However the most beneficial thing for both sides would be a mutual deal that reflects reality. The reality that while he is an important piece of this defense (he still has four sacks in the seven games he’s played) he is aging and has a hard time staying healthy. It’s not likely that if he walks, he will get the massive payday he’s looking for. This is apparent from the paltry offers the Bengals got before the deadline this year.
Trey Hendrickson knows the Bengals system. And if he stays home he can be the leader this defense desperately needs. With a solid contract in place he can be the centerpiece (imperfect or not) of the defensive line and no longer a distraction. That unit is a work in progress and is full of young, unproven, and underperforming players that could benefit from what he could offer.
Hendrickson could still be a big piece of the Bengals plans moving forward. And hopefully how the 2025 trade deadline played out will show Trey the truth of his situation.
