Cincy Jungle
Does this mean things are going in the right direction?
The Cincinnati Bengals have a long to-do list before the 2025 season, and items one, two, and three on that list are to extend Ja’Marr Chase, re-sign Tee Higgins, and extend Trey Hendrickson.
The team has the money to get it all done, and then some, it all just comes down to whether or not they will get out of their comfort zone.
Hendrickson recently joined the Ross Tucker Podcast, where the two talked about his ongoing negotiation.
When Tucker asked Hendrickson how far he was willing to go with the contract discussions, insinuating the defensive end may sit out to force the team’s hand, Hendrickson said he didn’t want things to get to that point.
“Ideally, it doesn’t get to that,” he said. “I really don’t want to be a distraction for the team. We’ve had multiple good conversations. It’s just actions speak louder than words. That’s how I play my game as well, even though I am a trash talker.”
Tucker responded, saying the Bengals are a tough team to negotiate with, and Hendrickson shut him down.
“They’ve taken such great care of me,” he said. “It was also like that in free agency. They had to take a chance and believe in me. I don’t want to go underappreciated because we do have these little uncomfortable business negotiations. They’ve taken care of me off the field as well, with my wife they’ve been so supportive.”
Hendrickson has been excellent in his time in Cincinnati, racking up 17.5 sacks over each of the last two years. In 2025, he was really the only consistent pass rusher the Bengals had to throw at opposing offenses, and he was still unstoppable at times.
Without him, the Bengals would have no established edge rushers, and in a conference with Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, and others, they need to be able to get to the opposing quarterback.
Check out Hendrickson’s full interview below:
