Bengals Safety Geno Stone Reacts to Pay Cut Request, Points to Trey Hendrickson As Big Reason for Accepting It

CINCINNATI – Cincinnati Bengals safety Geno Stone admitted that he took it personally when the team asked him to take a pay cut.

And yeah, he said he considered telling them ‘no.’

But there was a give-and-take involved that came with $1.5 million in guaranteed money this season.

And ultimately, Stone said the decision came down to doing what was best for the team and that he believes the request is related to negotiations with defensive end Trey Hendrickson.

“This is a business and they're trying to do what's best for the team, and I understand that,” Stone said following Tuesday’s OTA practice.

“I want to do what's best for the team, too,” he added. “If that's able to get Trey back or get him signed, I'm gonna do it.”

Hendrickson is under contract for $15.8 million as he heads into the final year of his contract.

The NFL sack leader is looking for a sizable raise after watching the organization sign wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to massive extensions worth $276 million in addition to giving tight end Mike Gesicki and defensive tackle B.J. Hill three-year extensions totaling $58 million.

The pay cut Stone agreed to amount to a savings of $1.5 for the Bengals, which hardly seems like a move that will push them closer to a deal with Hendrickson.

Stone said the Bengals didn't tell him they were requesting a pay cut in relation to Hendrickson, but he said it’s easy to infer.

“If you're taking a pay cut, they're trying to fill spaces for a reason,” Stone said. “I don't know what they're doing. They didn't tell me. I didn't ask.”

Stone admitted that there was a point after the season when he wasn’t sure if the Bengals would be paying him at all in 2025, that they might just move on after his disappointing first season with the team.

“I wasn't sure,” he said. “But at the end of the day, I'm here. I'm gonna give my all wherever I'm at. I'm here right now, so that's something I owe them. I signed here, and I want to honor what I want to do for them.

“Honestly, I was upset with myself a lot last year, just the way my play was early in the year,” he added. “I got put in situations I would say I never really had in my career, and that had nothing to do with anyone else. It was just me. That was a learning point for me in my career, and I'm ready to bounce back from that.”

With his inconsistent play and the switch at defensive coordinator from Lou Anarumo to Al Golden, Stone spent the first few weeks of the offseason uncertain about his future.

But after the Combine, he came in for a long meeting with the coaches.

“When I sat down with them, I told them I want to embrace that leader role in the room,” he said. “We had a long talk, and that's what they told me, that I've got to be that guy this year to lift the whole group up and just be who I was before.

“I sat down with Al, and it was about my tackling angles and things like that,” Stone added. “And I'll agree with that. I got put in situations last year where I didn't have the best pursuit angles. That's something I want to work on as much as I can and get as many reps as I can now through camp. That's my main emphasis this year.”

From his poor play last year to the pay cut request, Stone said “I’ve got that seventh-round mentality again,” referencing his draft spot – No. 219 overall – in 2020.

“It's not like I lost it or nothing like that,” Stone said. “I don't want to say I got too comfortable, but at the same time I want to make sure I'm day in and day out competing and working my butt off and making sure everyone else is better around me.”