Steelers Now
2024 NFL sack leader Trey Hendrickson has expressed frustration with the Cincinnati Bengals over his contract situation.
The offseason saga between edge rusher Trey Hendrickson and the Cincinnati Bengals continued on Monday as the 2024 sack leader put his team on notice.
Hendrickson is entering the final year of his contract and is slated to make just $15.8 million in base salary. He has said if the Bengals don’t plan to give him long-term security, he wants to be traded. And he revealed talks have stalled since the 2025 NFL Draft, and it’s not because of his camp.
“No communication has taken place between my camp and the organization post draft,” Hendrickson said on ESPN. “The offers prior to the draft did not reflect the vision we shared and were promised last offseason if I continued to play at a high level. Coaches are aware of these past conversations. Rather than using collaboration to get us to a point to bring me home to the team, THEY are no longer communicating. I have been eagerly awaiting a resolution of this situation, but that’s hard to do when there is no discussion and an evident lack of interest in reaching mutual goals.”
Hendrickson, 30, is not often mentioned in the same class as star edge rushers T.J. Watt, Myles Garrett, Micah Parsons and Maxx Crosby, but he is an elite pass rusher.
He has led the NFL with 35 sacks over the last two seasons and finished second this past season in the NFL Defensive Player of the Year voting after leading the league with 17.5 sacks.
The Bengals did grant Hendrickson permission to seek a trade but nothing has yet to materialize. That will become increasingly me difficult as the summer progresses and potentially interested team’s fill out their rosters.
Cincinnati would love to retain Hendrickson, who was one of the few bright spots on its defense last year. But that doesn’t look like it will be easy after it broke the bank for star wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins this offseason.
The two sides seem to be at an impasse with no resolution in sight.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: NFL Sack Leader Trey Hendrickson Exposes Bengals: ‘An Evident Lack of Interest’
