NFL Insider Albert Breer: Trey Hendrickson 'Within His Rights' To Want Same Money as Elite Pass Rushers

 The Trey Hendrickson saga has no clear end in sight as Sports Illustrated insider Albert Breer assessed the situation this week.

He thinks Hendrickson is well within bounds to ask for a deal close to Danielle Hunter and Maxx Crosby's. Both are getting average annual values of over $35 million.

Cincinnati has reportedly only offered Hendrickson $28 million on a new deal.

"Hendrickson’s first contract grumbles came two years ago," Breer noted. "During the COVID-19-impacted offseason of 2021, he did a four-year, $60 million deal to leave the New Orleans Saints for the Cincinnati Bengals—a good deal in a depressed market, but one that wouldn’t age well for him. After 22 sacks in his first two seasons in Cincinnati, he sought a correction, and got a one-year, $21 million extension as a Band-Aid just before camp in ’23. After a 17.5-sack season that fall, he looked for another one, and didn’t get it. He had 17.5 sacks again last year. And here we are. Basically, what all that adds up to is a guy who probably won’t be lining up to take any kind of hometown discount. In fact, it’s no sure thing that he’d even play on his existing contract when push comes to shove and we get closer to real games being played.

"So, where would he want to be paid? It may be hard for Hendrickson to argue he should change the market like Myles Garrett and Nick Bosa did, but he’d certainly be within his rights to ask for a deal commensurate with what Danielle Hunter and Maxx Crosby got, given that both those guys are deeper into their careers and still got market corrections."

The process is at a standstill as Cincinnati prepares for mandatory minicamp June 10-12.