Bengals Get Bad News on Hendrickson Holdout

The Cincinnati Bengals earned themselves some goodwill with their massive contract extensions for receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. However, neither move helped mitigate the team’s biggest issue – an unforgivably poor defense.

Merely retaining defensive talent won’t be enough to improve for 2025, but the Bengals cannot afford to enter the year with less star power than it left last season. As such, edge rusher Trey Hendrickson’s ongoing holdout is the biggest problem facing the team late in the offseason.

Cincinnati has pushed off paying him like the elite pass rusher he has become, and in doing so has put its pass rush in jeopardy.

Bengals fans received bad news about a potential Hendrickson contract extension on Wednesday, when ESPN reported that he has “no interest” in playing on his current deal.

“There's no update with defensive end Trey Hendrickson's contract situation, which is at a stalemate,” Jeremy Fowler wrote. “My read on the situation is that Hendrickson is convicted enough to stay away from the team, having no interest in playing on his scheduled $16 million salary in 2025. Right now this is a waiting game.”

Simply put, the Bengals don’t have a ton of leverage. Hendrickson is far and away the best player on this defense. There’s no true co-star on the defensive line, and the team didn’t add any notable pass rushers in free agency.

They attempted to rectify this in Round 1, drafting hybrid edge rusher Shemar Stewart, but he’s far more proven against the run than the pass, even if his upside comes from the latter.

“So, at least in the short term, Shemar Stewart could assume the Hendrickson role in the defense,” Fowler said. “But I do believe the drafting of Stewart isn't totally tied to Hendrickson's situation. Cincinnati likes not only Stewart's explosiveness, but his positional flexibility at 6-foot-5 and 267 pounds.”

The best thing for Stewart’s development is having a star opposite him to take attention away. The two should amplify each other, with improved run defense on Stewart’s behalf opening pass-rushing opportunities for the entire defense.

For the short- and long-term future of the organization, locking in Hendrickson is important. There is risk in extending an edge rusher deeper into his 30s, but in a Super Bowl window, Cincinnati doesn’t have the luxury of playing games with its biggest stars.