The Cincinnati Bengals were thrown into a tailspin today after two of their superstars requested a trade. While the unease of wide receiver Tee Higgins has been public knowledge over the past few months, the developing situation with Pro Bowl defensive end Trey Hendrickson seemed to come out of left field for the organization this evening. Both players claim that their demands are completely related to the front office failing to attempt contract extensions with either player over the past few months.
Cincinnati Bengals Defender Between a Rock and a Hard Place
On top of his trade demands, Hendrickson has actually taken his threats a step further. Hendrickson has threatened that if the organization doesn’t give the talented FAU product a long-term extension, he will retire from football this offseason and leave the team with a hole on the defensive side of the ball. While many players have attempted this strong-handed tactic over the years, it certainly comes as a surprise to Cincinnati to hear that strategy now.
Unfortunately for Hendrickson, the reality of life is that all negotiations are reliant upon one thing and one thing alone: leverage. While Hendrickson may be a terrific player, leverage is one thing that he simply doesn’t have in this situation. At 29 years old, the talented pass rusher has another two years on his contract that has an average salary cap hit of $19 million per year for the next two seasons. Even after three successful seasons in Cincinnati, 31 seems to be the line that even elite defenders like Aaron Donald and Von Miller experience a dramatic dip in quality.
Even though he’s a terrific player at the moment, very few teams in the NFL would be willing to trade for a player who wants an extension well past his prime. That means that Cincinnati will have virtually no leverage to trade and will at best receive offers to give the team a third-round selection for the Pro Bowl player. Cincinnati will understandably not take anything less than a first or second-round pick for Hendrickson which will lead the situation to an inevitable standstill.
Another major problem for Hendrickson is that he attempted this gambit a year too late. After the NFL Draft last season, Cincinnati has talented defensive end Myles Murphy to fill in for Hendrickson if he does decide to hold out over his contract. While the concept of an unproven second-year player may seem like a gamble, it is certainly a better option than having a career backup to fill in given the situation. Hendrickson may be a superstar but he dramatically mistimed his moment and discarded all of his leverage with his reckless demands.
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