Sportsnaut
The Cincinnati Bengals experienced a rollercoaster season of ups and downs in 2024. Some highlights included Joe Burrow’s MVP-like campaign and Trey Hendrickson leading the NFL with 17.5 sacks. It still wasn’t enough to reach the postseason.
Yet, once the season ended, Hendrickson demanded a trade from the Bengals, and the team granted his agent’s request to speak to other teams. However, the Bengals were never able to find a trade partner for the first-team All-Pro on an expiring contract.
Nevertheless, Hendrickson still wanted a new contract, one that properly recognized his value as one of the NFL’s best pass-rushers. After all, T.J. Watt is now earning an average annual value of $41 million per season, which is far more than the $18.6 million cap hit Hendrickson is set to have for the Bengals this year.
While Hendrickson had been holding out of Bengals training camp practices while he sought a raise, his stance has suddenly changed.
According to ESPN’s NFL expert Adam Schefter, Hendrickson is ending his holdout by reporting to Bengals camp on Wednesday, without a new deal in place.
While Hendrickson doesn’t appear to be getting a new contract, he’ll at least no longer be subject to daily fines of $50,000. Who knows? Maybe the Bengals will see Hendrickson’s commitment to the team and decide to reward him anyway.
Either way, with first-round rookie Shemar Stewart recently coming to terms on his deal, and Hendrickson being set to report, the Bengals will have their top pass-rushers finally practicing with the rest of their teammates.
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