Trey Hendrickson Update

[Bengalbug]

(08-20-2025, 05:55 PM)rfaulk34 Wrote: Yep. They're still stuck in 'total contract' mode. Looking at the future as being equal to right now. 

If i had to wager, i bet a good number of these FO backers are in 'win now' mode as well. They just want to argue against any "FO poo poo" points, which are all valid. 

Seriously, what Bengals fan doesn't want to win now with Burrow and Co in their prime? The FO isn't thinking that way though. 

Honestly, the bengals FO does a pretty good job when you look at the team globally. I do wish they would “push their chips in” from time to time.

The saints have 88,000,000 in dead money this year, 60,000,000 in dead money next year. They haven’t been to the playoffs since 2020.

I say this as the manipulating salary cap is a slippery slope. Yes the saints won a Super Bowl, so likely worth it… but the bad cap management came well after that Super Bowl.

[Sled21]

(08-20-2025, 05:35 PM)rfaulk34 Wrote: Run stopper from the right side is a bit overrated. Certainly, Trey isn't quite as good as some others but this is recently being brought up as some knock on his worth. The guy gets to the QB on par with the best in the biz. If he's a little lax in the run...so what? It's not like he's a sieve over there, just a little less than some others and he makes up for it with how he tortures NFL QBs. 

And he's already in the building!!!!!! 

Oh...and his tackle numbers have gone up for 3 straight years.

If run stopper from the right side is overrated, and Trey has led the league in sacks, why is he ranked 6th-8th on most Defensive Ends lists??? 

[SunsetBengal]

(08-21-2025, 08:57 AM)Bengalbug Wrote: Honestly, the bengals FO does a pretty good job when you look at the team globally.  I do wish they would “push their chips in” from time to time.

The saints have 88,000,000 in dead money this year, 60,000,000 in dead money next year.  They haven’t been to the playoffs since 2020.

I say this as the manipulating salary cap is a slippery slope. Yes the saints won a Super Bowl, so likely worth it… but the bad cap management came well after that Super Bowl.

Another example of a team going "all in" to win is the LA Rams. It worked out for them in 2021, and they suffered two disappointing seasons as a result of cap issues. Now, they are fully reloaded and back in contention.

[Luvnit2]

I have stated I wish the FO would be more creative structuring deals to go all in, but if you look closely teams who go all in mostly do not win Super Bowls. They are playoff teams, but not winning it all. Huge dead money teams in 2025.

SF - 94 million
Saints - 89 million
Falcons
LV - 55 million
Seattle - 72 million
Jets - 63 million
Eagles - 77 million
Browns - 67 million
Miami - 54 million
Jags - 65 million
Rams - 51 million
Texans - 44 million


Teams with little to no cap space 2026 - all less than 26 million and some negative cap space, Bolded negative ca space
Balt, Carolina, Eagles,Texans, Giants, Cards, Giants, Jax, Dallas, NE, Atl, Buff, Bears, Browns, Dolphins, Lions, KC, Saints, Vikes


Simply lors os team leveraging the future, but not many succeeding in winning it all or getting to the SB

[*TheLeonardLeap*]

(08-21-2025, 08:57 AM)Bengalbug Wrote: Honestly, the bengals FO does a pretty good job when you look at the team globally.  I do wish they would “push their chips in” from time to time.

The saints have 88,000,000 in dead money this year, 60,000,000 in dead money next year.  They haven’t been to the playoffs since 2020.

I say this as the manipulating salary cap is a slippery slope. Yes the saints won a Super Bowl, so likely worth it… but the bad cap management came well after that Super Bowl.

The Saints problem is they never wanted to take their medicine, but also never drafted well enough to be able to avoid taking their medicine.

Other teams that manipulated the cap for runs either had that 1-3 bad year stretch (the medicine) after to reset their cap situation, or they drafted incredibly well and with all that young cheap talent were able to reset after 1 down year (Rams after '21, Pederson Eagles). 

The Saints ownership or FO just refuses to have a couple of bad seasons where they just don't spend and instead suck. But they also don't draft well enough to avoid having to do that in order to stop having to kick the can endlessly.

Using the Saints as a "cautionary tale" for why you shouldn't manipulate the salary cap is the current day version of "you shouldn't sign big FAs because look at the DC with Haynesworth".

Some of the biggest manipulators of the cap? Eagles, Rams, Chiefs, the Bucs (with Brady). The last 6 straight SB winners. 

The Bucs had $81.5m in dead cap in 2023 and $62.5m in dead cap in 2024 (but were able to stay semi-relevant because the NFCS is a garbage heap)... but they did it because they took 3 of their best shots at winning a SB with Brady, and did end up winning one.

(08-21-2025, 09:00 AM)SunsetBengal Wrote: Another example of a team going "all in" to win is the LA Rams. It worked out for them in 2021, and they suffered two disappointing seasons as a result of cap issues. Now, they are fully reloaded and back in contention.

Rams really only had the one bad year in '22. In '23 they won 10 games and were 1-and-done in the playoffs, which is disappointing as far as SBs go but still better than we've done the last two years and we didn't have any backlash or debt from going all-in.

The Eagles went all-in, won a Super Bowl ('17), tailed off, fired their coach, got rid of the QB, rebuilt, had one terrible year, and then proceeded to go all-in again to two more SBs ('22 and '24), winning another one.

[*pally*]

(08-21-2025, 09:52 AM)Luvnit2 Wrote: I have stated I wish the FO would be more creative structuring deals to go all in, but if you look closely teams who go all in mostly do not win Super Bowls. They are playoff teams, but not winning it all. Huge dead money teams in 2025.

SF - 94 million
Saints - 89 million
Falcons
LV - 55 million
Seattle - 72 million
Jets - 63 million
Eagles - 77 million
Browns - 67 million
Miami - 54 million
Jags - 65 million
Rams - 51 million
Texans - 44 million


Yeams no cap space 2026 - all less than 26 million and some negative cap space, Bolded negative ca space
Balt, Carolina, Eagles,Texans, Giants, Cards, Giants, Jax, Dallas, NE, Atl, Buff, Bears, Browns, Dolphins, Lions, KC, Saints, Vikes


Simply lors os team leveraging the future, but not many succeeding in winning it all or getting to the SB

I see quite a few perennial playoff teams among that list

The Bengals would not be heading into cap hell by guaranteeing Trey’s salary for 2 years. They don’t have any break the bank players coming up a contract year next season. The contract can be structured to minimize impact in the cap. It’s simply breaking their own no guaranteed salaries past year 1 paradigm.

[Luvnit2]

(08-21-2025, 10:08 AM)pally Wrote: I see quite a few perennial playoff teams among that list

The Bengals would not be heading into cap hell by guaranteeing Trey’s salary for 2 years.  They don’t have any break the bank players coming up a contract year next season.  The contract can be structured to minimize impact in the cap.  It’s simply breaking their own no guaranteed salaries past year 1 paradigm.

I have said Bengals could easily structure Trey's deal to meet 2025 cap.

The goal is not the playoffs, the goal going all in is to win it. Bengals have a winning record the past 4 years so good argument can be made we shoud have been more agrressive. 

As for guarantees, not true, Bengals have had many guaranteed deals with multiple years.

[Isaac Curtis: The Real #85]

(08-21-2025, 09:52 AM)Luvnit2 Wrote: I have stated I wish the FO would be more creative structuring deals to go all in, but if you look closely teams who go all in mostly do not win Super Bowls. They are playoff teams, but not winning it all. Huge dead money teams in 2025.

SF - 94 million
Saints - 89 million
Falcons
LV - 55 million
Seattle - 72 million
Jets - 63 million
Eagles - 77 million
Browns - 67 million
Miami - 54 million
Jags - 65 million
Rams - 51 million
Texans - 44 million


Teams with little to no cap space 2026 - all less than 26 million and some negative cap space, Bolded negative ca space
Balt, Carolina, Eagles,Texans, Giants, Cards, Giants, Jax, Dallas, NE, Atl, Buff, Bears, Browns, Dolphins, Lions, KC, Saints, Vikes


Simply lors os team leveraging the future, but not many succeeding in winning it all or getting to the SB

Your post is BS. A lot of Dead Money does not equate with going all in. It equates with signing DeShaun Watson. 

Cash over cap is what going all in looks like because you amitorize as many cap hits hits as you can into bonuses that are paid out immediately. Ditto contract restructures.

[*rfaulk34*]

(08-21-2025, 08:06 AM)Sled21 Wrote: No, you want a "Player" singular, while my thought is the money is better spent upgrading multiple positions on the defense.

What is more likey as you sit here reading this, right now. 

1. Sign Hendrickson
2. Sign multiple other players that are upgrades to what is here now. 

[Soonerpeace]

(08-21-2025, 10:08 AM)pally Wrote: I see quite a few perennial playoff teams among that list

The Bengals would not be heading into cap hell by guaranteeing Trey’s salary for 2 years. They don’t have any break the bank players coming up a contract year next season. The contract can be structured to minimize impact in the cap. It’s simply breaking their own no guaranteed salaries past year 1 paradigm.

This

[*rfaulk34*]

(08-21-2025, 10:21 AM)Luvnit2 Wrote: I have said Bengals could easily structure Trey's deal to meet 2025 cap.

The goal is not the playoffs, the goal going all in is to win it. Bengals have a winning record the past 4 years so good argument can be made we shoud have been more agrressive. 

As for guarntees, not true, Bengals have had many guaranteed deals with multiple years.

[THE PISTONS]

(08-21-2025, 08:57 AM)Bengalbug Wrote: Honestly, the bengals FO does a pretty good job when you look at the team globally.  I do wish they would “push their chips in” from time to time.

The saints have 88,000,000 in dead money this year, 60,000,000 in dead money next year.  They haven’t been to the playoffs since 2020.

I say this as the manipulating salary cap is a slippery slope. Yes the saints won a Super Bowl, so likely worth it… but the bad cap management came well after that Super Bowl.

Burrow and Chase are the change that makes the front office appear good. Put Dalton or a similar non-Burrow QB on this roster and we'd be winning 5-6 games a year.

[BrownAssClown]

Interesting that this would pop up on my You Tube feed today. Lots of interesting tidbits about the 1976 Bengals. Very interesting that the Bengals traded for 34 year old defensive end Coy Bacon. Look at how many sacks he recorded with the Bengals that year. I guess Trey is just too old at 31.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kTEWjtcSOo

[Sled21]

(08-21-2025, 11:20 AM)rfaulk34 Wrote: What is more likey as you sit here reading this, right now. 

1. Sign Hendrickson
2. Sign multiple other players that are upgrades to what is here now. 

If you're talking about THIS year, 1 is more likely. If you are talking about next year or they year after, then I'd go with 2

[*rfaulk34*]

(08-21-2025, 01:33 PM)Sled21 Wrote: If you're talking about THIS year, 1 is more likely. If you are talking about next year or they year after, then I'd go with 2

Well, we both know that this year is the only time we can win this year's super bowl. If we're talking about letting him walk and using the money elsewhere the next couple years...i'm gonna go with the ole tried and true "a bird in the hand..." etc etc. 

[Sled21]

(08-21-2025, 02:59 PM)rfaulk34 Wrote: Well, we both know that this year is the only time we can win this year's super bowl. If we're talking about letting him walk and using the money elsewhere the next couple years...i'm gonna go with the ole tried and true "a bird in the hand..." etc etc. 

I'm all for signing him and paying him this year. I'm just not all the enamored with the idea of guaranteed money for the next three. 

[Luvnit2]

(08-21-2025, 11:29 AM)rfaulk34 Wrote:

Recent
Burrow
Chase
Higgins
Gesicki
BJ Hill
Every draft pick - 6 to 7 per year

Those after 1 minute of thought

[Luvnit2]

(08-21-2025, 10:49 AM)Isaac Curtis: The Real #85 Wrote: Your post is BS. A lot of Dead Money does not equate with going all in. It equates with signing DeShaun Watson. 

Cash over cap is what going all in looks like because you amitorize as many cap hits hits as you can into bonuses that are paid out immediately. Ditto contract restructures.

When did facts become BS? You do realize the Bengals have spent over the cap in 2023, 2024 and 2025.

2022 was the last time they spent under the cap.

[*bfine32*]

(08-21-2025, 10:08 AM)pally Wrote: I see quite a few perennial playoff teams among that list

The Bengals would not be heading into cap hell by guaranteeing Trey’s salary for 2 years.  They don’t have any break the bank players coming up a contract year next season.  The contract can be structured to minimize impact in the cap.  It’s simply breaking their own no guaranteed salaries past year 1 paradigm.

I'd imagine OBJ will be wanting a little more Cheddar, and we might want some loot to sign a big-name. WTS, they should give Trey 2 years guaranteed 

[THE PISTONS]

Who knows if this is legit, but rumors Bengals and Seahawks talking Hendrickson for Walker straight up:

https://x.com/NFLonBread/status/1958235708646113286

I'd be disappointed in that.