Egregious Comments? Analyzing Katie Blackburn's Update on Bengals Contract Talks With Trey Hendrickson

Bengals Executive Vice President Katie Blackburn talked with the media for over 30 minutes in West Palm Beach, Florida after NFL league meetings concluded on Tuesday.

Her comments on Trey Hendrickson have ruffled some feathers.

“He should be happy at certain rates that maybe he doesn't think he'd be happy at,” Blackburn said.“Some of it is on him to be happy at some point, and if he's not, that's what holds it up sometimes. It takes him to say yes to something. We have all the respect in the world for him. He's been a great player. We're happy to have him. And so maybe we'll find a way to get something to work. We're just gonna see where it goes.”

That was the quote that really got people fired up.

In reality, Blackburn didn't say anything offensive. It's a negotiation.

Clearly the Bengals and Hendrickson aren't on the same page on contract terms. If they were, then they would've already agreed to a deal.

We wrote 12 days ago (March 21) that this would be a slow process. Both sides are dug in, which means this negotiation will likely take some time.

That doesn't mean they won't get a deal done with Hendrickson. That doesn't mean that he'll holdout or threaten to miss games.

It doesn't have to get ugly.

Maybe his camp does go that route. Maybe the Bengals have a change of heart over the next 22 days and decide to trade the NFL sack leader.

The most likely scenario is a positive one. Hendrickson wants to be in Cincinnati. They want him on the team. Both sides need to find common ground on compensation to make that happen.

Blackburn didn't say anything revealing on Tuesday when it came to the Bengals' negotiations with Hendrickson.

The Bengals have a number they think he should be happy at and Hendrickson has a number he wants before he signs.

Spoiler alert: that's how negotiations work. That's how they work for you, me and anyone else negotiating a salary. That's how it works when you're at a car dealership hoping to leave with new wheels or when you're house hunting in hopes of finding the perfect place to live.

Negotiating isn't fun and it certainly isn't always pretty, but it's part of the business. If the Bengals aren't going to trade Hendrickson, then they don't need to be in a rush to sign him. That doesn't mean they should kick the can down the road, but the pass rusher market is pretty set.

Micah Parsons is negotiating with the Cowboys, but that shouldn't impact Hendrickson.

There are a lot of people upset and bothered by Blackburn's comments, but if you didn't know they were about Hendrickson, it would just sound like she's talking about any contract negotiation in the history of contract negotiations.

Hendrickson is set to make $16 million in base salary this season. He's under contract. It always felt like his negotiations with the team were going to take longer than extension talks with Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.

As long as they can find common ground and strike a deal sometime over the next few months, then this isn't a big deal.

The Bengals get a lot of things wrong. They weren't aggressive enough in free agency. They didn't add enough talent to their roster. And who knows, maybe they'll botch negotiations with Hendrickson, but Blackburn didn't say anything egregious on Tuesday when asked about the Bengals' contract talks with their All-Pro pass rusher.

All she did was explain how negotiations work. Sometimes these things take time—especially when a player is under contract and doesn't have the leverage.

Check out Blackburn's complete comments about Hendrickson here.