The Cincinnati Bengals cheapness seems to be hitting new levels, as their best defensive player is fed up, and that is putting it lightly. Trey Hendrickson has cemented himself among the top defensive ends and pass-rushers in all of football, leading the NFL in sacks in 2024 and tallying 35 sacks over his last two seasons.
He is now underpaid and is due for a short-term contract extension, but as we know, Hendrickson has not gotten one from the Bengals, a franchise that has been poorly run for a while now. Cincy somehow found a way to get deals done with Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, but are stuck on Trey Hendrickson's deal.
And the pass rusher is holding firm to what he believes his value is...
Trey Hendrickson does not seem to be budging...
ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler recently reported a pretty bleak situation for Hendrickson and the Bengals, and this would be a downright disaster for the team and the fanbase:
"If no deal occurs, I've spoken to several people who believe Hendrickson very well might follow through on his promise to miss games or even the season. "He's extremely dug in," a source said. "Jeremy Fowler
The four-time Pro Bowler has made all of his Pro Bowls with the Bengals and has racked up 35 sacks, 35 tackles for loss, and 61 QB hits over the last two seasons. He's missed just three games with the Bengals since signing with them back in 2021 and has been a downright elite player for the defense.
A bigger issue here is that the Bengals defense was terrible in 2024, as Hendrickson was really one of the only bright spots, so if he is not in the picture and indeed holds out, the defense could truly bottom-out and become the worst in the NFL by a longshot.
If Cincy can't get some short of extension done, they might lose their best defensive player for the season. I guess the good thing is that they took Shemar Stewart in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, but they have not been able to agree to the rookie contract with him, so it's a double-whammy of embarrassment for the franchise.