Cincy Jungle
It’s not even a Bengals-related move, but it can heavily impact the Bengals All-Pro edge rusher.
Cincinnati Bengals All-Pro edge rusher Trey Hendrickson has been very adamant about where he stands in his contract dispute.
Hendrickson has cited the deals that Las Vegas Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby and Browns edge rusher Myles Garrett have gotten this offseason as to why he believes he is worth that money.
The NFL’s sack leader last year is absolutely justified, given that Garrett, like Hendrickson, has played eight seasons in the NFL and Crosby has played six. Two players who have played either the same number of seasons or close to that number and have had similar production levels have both gotten huge deals to raise the edge rusher market. It’s absolutely reasonable for Hendrickson, who has 35 sacks over the last two seasons, to think he should be worth that much money as well.
Here’s the thing, though, for Hendrickson. It’s not those two players’ deals that are going to determine how his contract dispute situation plays out. It’s actually what will happen with Detroit Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson that will heavily determine how much money Hendrickson gets.
Crosby and Garrett raised the edge rusher market. They did not, though, reset it. Hutchinson will, regardless of what his deal will end up being.
Look at the Raiders and Browns. Those teams and organizations are messes. They had to pay their respective star edge rushers to have at least one player of their caliber on their teams for marketing purposes. Those teams’ fanbases need a player to get excited about, and that’s what Crosby is to the Raiders, and Garrett is to the Browns. That’s why both of them got a lot of money this offseason. It wasn’t just because of how good they are. Marketing purposes and fan engagement have played a big role as well.
The Lions are in a much different position. Their organization is now one of the best in the NFL. Last offseason, they paid three offensive stars in quarterback Jared Goff, wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and right tackle Penei Sewell. Like the Bengals have done with Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, the Lions have rewarded their star power on offense with big contract extensions.
Also, like the Bengals, the Lions will have a decision to make when it comes to their star edge rusher in Hutchinson. With a lot of money committed to their star players on offense and more offensive players eligible for extensions next offseason, how much money will the Lions be able to commit to Hutchinson? In addition, will Hutchinson’s injury last year impact how much money he gets?
There’s no doubt Hutchinson will get an extension with the Lions. He has been at the epicenter of the Lions' rebuild. Not only that, but Hutchinson is a Michigan man to the core. He grew up in Detroit, played for Michigan when Jim Harbaugh was the head coach, and was the...
