Why didn't the Bengals extend Trey Hendrickson?
As with a lot of these, it's important to note that they still might do something. The Bengals have worked on finding common ground with last season's NFL sack leader (17.5) on a contract extension this offseason. But unlike wide receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, who got big extensions in March, Hendrickson is still waiting on a deal.
Bengals executive vice president Katie Blackburn told reporters at the owners meetings in March that Hendrickson "should be happy at certain rates that maybe he doesn't think he'd be happy at," which certainly indicates that the team and the player still don't see eye to eye on his value. Hendrickson called the comments "a little disappointing." He took his frustrations public again this week, telling ESPN's Adam Schefter there has been no communication from the team on this since before the draft.
Historically, the Bengals have refused to put future-year guarantees in veteran contracts. Ironically, this is the main reason Hendrickson became a Bengal in the first place. During free agency in 2021, Cincinnati tried bringing back edge rusher Carl Lawson, but he left for the Jets because they guaranteed second-year money. Cincinnati instead signed Hendrickson because he was OK with its contract structure.
The Bengals' long-held rule was to guarantee no money outside of the first year -- specifically, the signing bonus. They broke this rule for quarterback Joe Burrow a couple of years ago and broke it again this year for Chase and Higgins. I don't know for a fact that future-year guarantees are the holdup in Hendrickson's deal, but it's a fair assumption to make based on what I've heard from sources.
And if you're wondering why it would be a holdup for Hendrickson when it wasn't for Burrow, Chase and Higgins, the answer is age. Burrow, Chase and Higgins were all 26 years old at the time of their contract extensions. Hendrickson is 30. For a team that absolutely hates to guarantee money in future years, it's a lot easier to diverge from those principles if said years are the player's age-27 and -28 seasons, rather than his age-31 and -32 years.
There's still a decent chance Hendrickson ends up on the Bengals' 2025 roster. But it has been ugly getting there so far, and it appears there's a decent chance this could end in a training camp holdout. He said Tuesday that he won't play for the Bengals this season under his current contract, so something has to give.
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/45127336/2025-nfl-offseason-10-teams-questions-explaining-missed-moves
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