Trey Hendrickson finds himself stuck in a difficult situation with the Cincinnati Bengals. The team has granted him permission to seek a trade and negotiate a new contract, but while he’s found teams willing to meet his salary demands, the Bengals are unwilling to part ways with him for anything less than what they deem acceptable compensation. If they aren’t satisfied with the trade offers, they should do right by him and offer a contract extension that reflects his value.
That, however, seems unlikely.
The Bengals have a reputation for prioritizing bargain deals over paying market value for top talent. Team negotiators Mike Brown and Katie Blackburn are known for letting key players walk rather than compensating them fairly.
Their handling of Ja’Marr Chase—who remains without an extension—and Tee Higgins, who was franchise-tagged for a second straight year instead of receiving a long-term deal, further reinforces this trend.
Hendrickson is seeking an annual salary of around $32.5 million, a figure comparable to what Maxx Crosby secured with the Raiders and Myles Garrett received from the Browns. Given his league-leading 35 sacks over the past two seasons—more than any other edge rusher—he has a strong case for earning that amount.
According to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, an anonymous NFL executive called the Bengals’ trade demands “ridiculous.”
“Teams are willing to pay Trey Hendrickson the contract that he desires but have found Cincinnati’s current asking price to be ‘ridiculous,’ as one GM told me,” Russini shared on social media. “The Bengals can adjust as the offseason progresses, but right now, teams aren’t willing to meet their terms.”
Despite the uncertainty, Hendrickson has repeatedly stated that he wants to stay in Cincinnati and has even been seen wearing Bengals gear in recent days—hardly the actions of a player eager to leave.
But how many players truly want to stay in Cincinnati? Not many.
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