Serious Drama Brewing for Steelers Rival

Things haven't been going swimmingly recently for one of the Pittsburgh Steelers' AFC North rivals.

After a disappointing 2024 campaign that saw the Cincinnati Bengals finish outside of the playoffs with a 9-8 record, they moved quickly to extend their star wide receiver duo of Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins on four-year deals worth $161 million and $115 million, respectively, keeping them in place alongside franchise quarterback Joe Burrow for the foreseeable future.

While that's all well and good, the team's defense remains in a state of disarray. After allowing 348.3 yards and 25.5 points per game last season, both of which were bottom-eight marks in the league, they fired longtime defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo and replaced him with Al Golden, who had previously occupied that same role at Notre Dame.

The most worrying development for Cincinnati, however, is its ongoing contract saga with star defensive end Trey Hendrickson.

The 30-year-old, who was granted permission to seek a trade in March, has steadily grown frustrated with a lack of communication and willingness from the Bengals to meet him in the middle on his contractual demands after making four straight Pro Bowls and turning in two consecutive 17 1/2-sack campaigns while also finishing second in AP Defensive Player of the Year voting last year.

"No communication has taken place between my camp and the organization post draft," Hendrickson said Monday via a statement to ESPN. "The offers prior to the draft did not reflect the vision we shared and were promised last offseason if I continued to play at a high level. Coaches are aware of these past conversations. Rather than using collaboration to get us to a point to bring me home to the team, THEY are no longer communicating. I have been eagerly awaiting a resolution of this situation, but that’s hard to do when there is no discussion and an evident lack of interest in reaching mutual goals.”