The newest feedback from Cincinnati Bengals cross rusher Trey Hendrickson point out an prolonged contract holdout may very well be within the works.
Hendrickson is within the last yr of his present contract with Cincinnati, underneath which he’s set to make $15.8 million. Talking on The Pat McAfee Present in April, Hendrickson outlined his want for an extension with the Bengals, courting again to final season, and the way administration informed him that if his manufacturing remained at a excessive degree, a deal could be finished.
“To have a yr that I’ve remaining on my contract … we are able to get into that actual fast,” mentioned Hendrickson. “Final yr and the yr earlier than I’ve been speaking about long-term contract, assured cash, issues like that. It was mentioned with me in a gathering, which I’m very lucky to have had with my agent, that we’d get one thing finished this yr. In order that being mentioned, final yr, ‘Exit and play, play on the degree you have got, we’ll get it finished’ — that was communicated with me.
“So principally, this yr, it’s going to get labored on. In addition they reiterated that on the mix. In order that simply sort of clears the air on that. Shifting ahead, the happiness of my camp … [the Bengals] are greater than welcome to name me. I’ve had my cellphone, similar cellphone quantity since highschool, open line of communication is all the time open with me and my brokers. So if they’ve something they’d like to debate, we’ve been nothing however prepared to hear.”
Hendrickson led the league with 17.5 sacks final season.
Nonetheless, in new feedback made to ESPN, the Bengals cross rusher has indicated rising frustration with administration.
“No communication has taken place between my camp and the group put up draft,” mentioned Hendrickson within the new assertion. “The gives previous to the draft didn’t mirror the imaginative and prescient we shared and had been promised final offseason if I continued to play at a excessive degree. Coaches are conscious of those previous conversations.
“Moderately than utilizing collaboration to get us to some extent to deliver me dwelling to the group, THEY are not speaking. I’ve been eagerly awaiting a decision of this case, however that’s arduous to do when there isn’t any dialogue and an evident lack of curiosity in reaching mutual objectives.”
The Bengals drafted EDGE defender Shemar Stewart out of Texas A&M with the seventeenth decide within the 2025 NFL Draft.
Cincinnati inked large receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to new offers this offseason, however has taken a unique method with Hendrickson. The group allowed the cross rusher to hunt a commerce earlier this offseason, partly to gauge how the league valued him in hopes of spurring contract talks. However provided that no deal was struck — and these newest feedback from Hendrickson — we may very well be dashing in direction of an deadlock.
And a holdout shortly.
