Frank Bowen IV/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Bengals Trey Hendrickson Trade Update All About 'Timing'

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Anthony Goss | Last updated May 23, 2025 5:39 PM ET

Trey Hendrickson and the Cincinnati Bengals are not having each other as of late. Contract extension talks have escalated to the point of both sides disengaging the conversation.

The back and forth is commonplace in these matters across the league. But very rarely to conversations escalate to the point of a player seeking out the press to call out a team.

Hendrickson took that path last week, making it clear he will not play another down until he gets a contract extension, traded or both. That decision represented these tensions reaching their boiling point with no other major talking points since.

There is a clear divide for both camps to work through. However, NFL media's Ian Rapoport acknowledges the beef but still believes the Bengals and Hendrickson will eventually come to terms.

"I would be surprised if Trey Hendrickson got traded..

I still believe that the Bengals are gonna pay him"@RapSheet #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/b2vtJMLbFv
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) May 23, 2025

"Even if you found a first rounder, you're not going to use it until next year so that hurts the Bengals this year. If it had happened before the draft, you could have gotten a player to help you this year. The timing makes a trade extremely hard.

"I still believe the Bengals are gonna pay him. I don't know that going to the press helps... I still think he is a huge part of the organization, they want him to stay and I believe they will pay him."

The Bengals have dished out significant chunks of the cap to Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins already. That devotion gives them one of the best offensive cores in the league.

Now, their defense needs that same level of attention and Hendrickson remains a foundational piece to that puzzle. Arguably no one in the league has been better than him at getting after the quarterback the last two seasons.

For Rapoport's prediction to come true, it would take some major amends on both sides to restart negotiations and eventually progress to a deal. At the end of the day that is the outcome that ultimately makes sense for everyone.

Currently though, that feels like a long way from happening.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: