Cincinnati Bengals famous person edge-rusher Trey Hendrickson has needed a brand new contract all offseason, and the staff — thus far — has been unable and unwilling to satisfy his calls for.
With the season inching nearer and talks nonetheless not gaining any floor, the Bengals at the moment are reportedly listening to commerce provides for Hendrickson, based on a report from NFL Community’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero.
Your entire state of affairs and saga needs to be irritating, and possibly even infuriating, for Bengals followers and possibly even a whole lot of Cincinnati gamers.
Hendrickson is among the NFL’s greatest defensive gamers and was the lone shiny 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 keen to sink big cash into the offense.
Hendrickson is about to make $16M this season, and though he returned to the staff, he has not but touched the observe area. He has additionally mentioned he is not going to play out the season beneath his present contract phrases.
Discovering a commerce companion looks as if a long-shot at this level given how difficult such a transfer could be.
From the Bengals perspective, they would wish to get draft choose (or participant) compensation again in return that might 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 — could be keen to pay that form of draft-pick capital for a participant at this stage of the season.
The staff 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 not less than come nearer to assembly his calls for. That can be going to be difficult.
Both manner, this can be a very grim story for the Bengals and their playoff possibilities. They had been a nasty protection with him on the sphere. 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 as a consequence 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 identical to that.
