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The Cincinnati Bengals are playing with fire regarding their top two edge rushers. Both Trey Hendrickson and Shemar Stewart are in contract disputes with the team heading into the summer. Despite all of the drama, one Bengals player is optimistic that everything will work out in the end.
Bengals tackle Orlando Brown is confident that the team will agree to contracts with both Trey Hendrickson and Shemar Stewart.
“I’m very confident that they’ll be out there,” Brown said on NFL Network’s The Insiders on Tuesday. “I imagine in Trey’s situation, they’ll get that figured out, man. He’s one of the best in the league at what he does. I think in Shemar’s case, I imagine they’ll get that done, too, coming to terms on whatever the language or specific amount of money it is. These are two very important players for us. One being an All-Pro Defensive Player of the Year candidate, man. I imagine the team is going to take care of business.”
Hendrickson has been seeking a long-term contract extension for months after back-to-back 17.5-sack seasons. He has even threatened to sit out the 2025 season if he does not get an extension.
Meanwhile, Shemar Stewart left Bengals mandatory minicamp over his own contract dispute. Stewart took issue with one clause the Bengals wanted to include in his rookie contract. He is refusing to sign his rookie contract unless it is removed.
Bengals training camp is set to begin on July 23rd. That creates a natural deadline for Cincinnati to resolve these contract disputes.
There is some hope for resolution, at least when it comes to Hendrickson’s contract situation.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported on Sunday that Hendrickson and the Bengals have resumed communication about his contract and future with the team.
This is a huge development when considering how much importance Hendrickson has placed on open communication throughout the process.
“When there’s a lack of communication in any relationship, where it’s a business or personal relationship, lack of communication leads to animosity, and that leaves my narrative only to me with no clear direction,” Hendrickson said in May about his future with the Bengals.
The fact that both sides have resumed talking does not mean they will get a deal done quickly. But they do have over a month before training camp, so there’s plenty of time to come to an agreement.
Perhaps Orland Brown is right and this situation will resolve itself before training camp.
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