'Pay the man what he's due' — Trey Hendrickson's former teammate provides convincing testimony for Bengals to reward their All-Pro

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By John Sheeran | Last updated Jun 17, 2025 1:08 PM ET

You'd be hard pressed to find an NFL player who doesn't want Trey Hendrickson to win his contract dispute with the Cincinnati Bengals, especially among those who've played alongside him such as Lawrence Guy.

Cincinnati rostered Guy for nearly seven weeks last season and played him in four games. He got a perfect view to watch Hendrickson ball out during the only All-Pro season of his career, and how he handled himself on the sidelines and in the locker room.

He used those anecdotes to explain his thoughts on why Hendrickson deserves the raise he's eyeing.

”Pay the man what he's due," Guy said to Kay Adams earlier this month. "We only get a short time in this game to get a certain amount of money Yes, he's blessed to have what he has now, but give him what he's earned. He sweat out there. He's bled out there. He gave everything for the team.

"As you saw last year, you didn't see him give up."

Guy was only around Hendrickson for a little over a month, but he witnessed the caliber of leadership Hendrickson displayed despite playing on a contract he wasn't satisfied with.

"He was amazing in the locker room," Guy recalled. "He always wanted to make sure people were better. When you go down to a player like he is, he's studying the film, he has the iPad on the sideline. . .he's trying to build relationships with his teammates saying 'Hey if I’m doing this, we gotta run a different scheme or run a different play.'

"There's a dynamic there that he has."

The dynamic between Cincinnati and Hendrickson this offseason hasn't been nearly as productive. The 30-year old skipped the entire offseason program including last week's mandatory minicamp, which the club can fine him for over $100,000.

Reports from this past weekend state the Bengals and Hendrickson have resumed contract talks. The timing is ideal as there are but five weeks until the players return for training camp. Cincinnati needs Hendrickson a part of its ramp-up to the regular season, especially with pressure to start the year fast for what would be the first time in Zac Taylor's head-coaching career.

Take it from a Guy (literally) who's seen Hendrickson operate on and off the field. The Bengals would be wise to put all of this to bed sooner rather than later.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: