ClutchPoints
The Cincinnati Bengals enter the 2025 NFL season with urgency, expectations, and a cloud of uncertainty surrounding one of their biggest stars. Recall that they missed the playoffs last season despite standout years from Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, and Trey Hendrickson. As such, the Bengals find themselves trying to rediscover the momentum that once carried them to a Super Bowl appearance. Training camp has been anything but quiet, with the franchise wrestling not only with on-field adjustments but also with the contract dispute of their most important defensive player. As Week 1 looms, the Bengals must decide whether to double down on their current core or make a bold move that reshapes both sides of the ball.
The Bengals’ missing the playoffs last season was a reminder that individual brilliance isn’t enough without balance across the roster. Head coach Zac Taylor has already shown he can guide Cincinnati to the Super Bowl. 2025 is the chance to prove that run wasn’t an outlier. Burrow enters this season with something to prove as he fights to be recognized among the league’s elite quarterbacks. With the AFC’s most feared receiving duo in Chase and Tee Higgins, plus defensive reinforcements in Shemar Stewart and TJ Slaton, the Bengals look poised to contend. However, that’s only if they can clean up their lingering issues.
The biggest cloud over the team, though, is the Hendrickson contract saga. The four-time Pro Bowler has delivered back-to-back 17.5-sack seasons. He has undoubtedly cemented himself as Cincinnati’s defensive cornerstone. And yet, his demand for a market-setting extension has hit a stalemate with the front office. Hendrickson has threatened to sit out if a new deal isn’t reached. That would leave the Bengals in a bind as Week 1 nears. At 30, he knows this may be his last chance to cash in. That’s especially true as peers like Myles Garrett and TJ Watt have eclipsed the $40 million annual mark. Yes, Hendrickson has expressed a desire to stay in Cincinnati. That said, the impasse has forced the team to consider trade options rather than risk losing their most dominant defender for nothing.
Of course, with the Bengals entertaining trade options, there are more than a couple of teams that have reportedly made enquiries for the All-Pro defender. Any trade will not be easy, though, as the Bengals are sure to want a good return, including a potential young player and future draft capital.
Here we’ll try to look at and discuss perhaps the most intriguing last-minute trade that the Cincinnati Bengals must make before Week 1 of 2025 NFL season.
It’s rare for a franchise to actively shop its best defensive player just weeks before the season opener. Yet Hendrickson’s situation is unique. The Bengals have already extended big contracts to Burrow, Chase, and other core pieces. In addition, their cap sheet has little room for another megadeal. Hendrickson has been nothing short of dominant, but the...
