Cincinnati Bengals celebrity edge-rusher Trey Hendrickson has needed a brand new contract all offseason, and the workforce — up to now — has been unable and unwilling to fulfill his calls for.
With the season inching nearer and talks nonetheless not gaining any floor, the Bengals are actually reportedly listening to commerce affords for Hendrickson, based on a report from NFL Community’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero.
The complete scenario and saga must be irritating, and perhaps even infuriating, for Bengals followers and doubtless even a number of Cincinnati gamers.
Hendrickson is among the NFL’s greatest defensive gamers and was the lone brilliant spot on what was one of many league’s worst defensive teams the previous two seasons. He has recorded 17.5 sacks in every of the previous two seasons, main the league in 2024, and has eclipsed the 13.5 mark in 4 of the previous 5 seasons.
And the Bengals haven’t been capable of pay him, regardless of being prepared to sink large cash into the offense.
Hendrickson is about to make $16M this season, and regardless that he returned to the workforce, he has not but touched the follow subject. He has additionally mentioned he won’t play out the season underneath his present contract phrases.
Discovering a commerce associate looks as if a long-shot at this level given how difficult such a transfer can be.
From the Bengals perspective, they would wish to get draft choose (or participant) compensation again in return that will make it price it for them to commerce their solely high-end defensive participant. You would need to think about that solely a handful of groups within the league — most certainly top-tier contenders — can be prepared to pay that form of draft-pick capital for a participant at this stage of the season.
The workforce buying and selling for him can be going to have to have the ability to do what the Bengals have didn’t do and truly get Hendrickson signed to a contract and no less than come nearer to assembly his calls for. That can be going to be difficult.
Both method, this can be a very grim story for the Bengals and their playoff probabilities. They have been a foul protection with him on the sector. They are going to be considerably worse with out him. Proper now, it’s trying, a method or one other, like they won’t have him when the season begins, both because of a commerce or him refusing to play out his contract.
The Bengals have already wasted a number of years of quarterback Joe Burrow’s prime by surrounding him with a awful protection. This is perhaps establishing for an additional season similar to that.
