Sportsnaut
signed first-round pick Shemar Stewart on Friday, ending the rookie’s holdout just a few days into training camp. Unfortunately, a resolution on Trey Hendrickson’s contract extension does not appear imminent.
According to Tony Pauline of Sportskeeda, the Bengals and Hendrickson have “agreed on the money portion” of a new contract extension. However, Cincinnati and its All-Pro edge rusher are not seeing eye to eye on the guaranteed years of the deal.
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The Bengals’ front office is reportedly sticking to its usual precedent with veteran extensions, offering only one guaranteed year. Hendrickson, however, is pushing for three years of guarantees. Some reports suggest he would settle for two, but most indicate he wants three years fully secured.
Even with training camp underway, the two sides have had no recent face-to-face negotiations. There’s also reportedly no sense of urgency from the Bengals’ front office, even though Hendrickson sitting out regular-season games could cause friction with both decision-makers and the locker room.
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Hendrickson has been adamant that he is willing to sit out multiple regular-season games without a new contract. As long as he plays at least six regular-season games in 2025, he would still be eligible to hit the open market next offseason.
While Cincinnati partially addressed its pass-rushing depth by ending Stewart’s holdout, their first-round pick is already playing catch-up after missing most of the offseason work. The Bengals’ defense needs Hendrickson on the field in Week 1, and as of now, there’s a real possibility he’ll be sitting out games in September.
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