ClutchPoints
The Cincinnati Bengals did it. Sort of. After a long, strange contract dispute, the Bengals agreed to a new deal with Trey Hendrickson. The team appeared deeply uninterested in committing to the eighth-year veteran during a saga that lasted over a year. And somehow Cincinnati managed to end the lengthy standoff without committing to Hendrickson.
Multiple extension offers were rejected due to a lack of guaranteed money. Two separate attempts to trade the defender failed because of the exorbitant asking price. A hold-out turned into a hold-in while Hendrickson missed all of training camp and the preseason.
The four-time Pro Bowler refused to play out the final year of his contract at the original $16 million salary. The Bengals refused to offer an extension with guaranteed money beyond 2025. And as each side waited for the other to blink, the regular season was rapidly approaching.
Finally, with the opening kickoff less than two weeks away, the Bengals and Hendrickson agreed to a one-year restructure for $30 million. Hendrickson got a $14 million raise for the 2025 season with the new deal but didn’t get the long-term security he was seeking. The Bengals were forced to dig deeper into their pockets than they wanted but avoided signing their fourth mega extension in the last two years.
It seemed as if the Bengals had botched the Hendrickson situation, as the team was unwilling to re-sign or trade the star pass rusher. Despite leading the league with 17.5 sacks last season and earning first-team All-Pro honors, Cincinnati appeared comfortable letting Hendrickson sit out.
But when Joe Burrow speaks, the Bengals (eventually) listen. The Pro Bowl passer led Cincinnati to its first Super Bowl appearance since 1988 in his second NFL season. The following year the Bengals again reached the AFC Championship Game. But despite Burrow’s MVP-caliber season in 2024, the team has now missed the playoffs each of the last two years.
Burrow badly wants to end that streak in 2025 and he’s been active in ensuring the team has the talent for a return to the postseason.
The fifth-year quarterback was reportedly instrumental in the effort to re-sign Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. No small feat with a franchise that’s notoriously tight with its purse strings. While he offered public support, Burrow privately pressured the Bengals into inking the wideouts to historic extensions.
The Bengals got the band back together, retaining the core of the NFL’s top passing attack in 2024. But that was only half the battle. The offense was electric last season while the defense lagged behind.
And now the team was facing the prospect of attempting to bounce back in a crowded conference without its best defensive player.
But Burrow remained confident. After the team’s second preseason game, the quarterback hinted at a positive end to Hendrickson’s contract saga. “I think historically these deals with us have gotten done closer to Week 1. I signed the Thursday before the first game [in 2023]. I think...
