Bengals' Trey Hendrickson makes stunning decision amid holdout

Trey Hendrickson‘s showdown with the Bengals took another turn, as the star pass-rusher is transforming his holdout into a hold-in. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Hendrickson is planning to report to Bengals training camp on Wednesday. However, the two sides are not any closer to a deal. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport notes that the player is en route to Cincinnati.

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero adds that it’s unlikely Hendrickson will actually practice with his team until he inks a new contract. However, this development is clearly a positive step forward for the two sides, and having the edge-rusher in the building should only help build momentum towards an eventual resolution. Indeed, Dianna Russini of The Athletic says the player and the Bengals intend to continue working on a deal after negotiations recently broke down.

We heard last week that the player had retreated to Florida after rejecting a pair of offers from the Bengals, and Hendrickson seemed prime to engage in his long-threatened holdout. That absence ended up lasting less than a week, with the pass-rusher incurring daily fines of $50K for being a no-show.

Hendrickson’s brief trip to Florida threw cold water on the building optimism in Cincinnati. Owner Mike Brown and de facto general manager Duke Tobin both expressed recent optimism that the two sides would soon come to an agreement. However, later reports indicated that there was still a sizable gap in negotiations. While Hendrickson and the Bengals were reportedly in agreement on the average annual value of an extension, the team was still unwilling to meet the player’s core demands of length and guarantees.

Specifically, Hendrickson has reportedly been seeking locked-in money for the first three years of his extension. The Bengals, who have only recently backed down from their refusal to hand out future guarantees to veterans, were only willing to include guaranteed money in the first year of their offer. This stalemate ultimately led to Hendrickson departing Cincinnati for Florida.

It remains to be seen if the two sides can bridge that gap, but it seems unlikely that the stare down ends in a trade. Hendrickson recently made it clear that he wants to stick in Cincinnati, and he said that sentiment is shared by the organization. This development is a good sign as the two sides look to repair their relationship, but Hendrickson’s impending hold-in will likely cause new distractions for the organization.

Hendrickson represented the last player to engage in a training camp holdout. Commanders receiver Terry McLaurin reported to camp without a deal, and Hendrickson will now follow suit. Courtland Sutton engaged in his own pseudo-hold-in and was rewarded with a lucrative contract extension on Monday.