Trey Hendrickson Calls Out Bengals Organization In New Statement

Cincinnati looked to gain some leverage by selecting DE Shemar Stewart in the first round of the draft. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler previously stated he would expect Hendrickson to hold out rather than play out the final year of his deal.

Hendrickson released a statement today providing an update on the situation, where he called out the organization and said they have cut off communication entirely following the draft.

“No communication has taken place between my camp and the organization post draft,” Hendrickson said, via ESPN’s Adam Schefter. “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.”

Prior reports suggested the team’s best offer was around the $28 million per year mark, despite the market rate of about $34 million for edge rushers of his caliber. Hendrickson has said he wants to remain a Bengal and would prefer not to hold out of OTAs, but he implied it’s on the table should he not get an offer to his liking. 

Hendrickson, 30, was selected with the No. 103 overall pick by the Saints out of Florida Atlantic in 2017. He finished his four-year rookie contract worth $3,106,288, which included a signing bonus of $706,284.

Hendrickson then signed a four-year, $60 million contract with the Bengals back in 2021 and went on to appear in the Super Bowl for the team. Cincinnati signed him to a one-year extension through 2025 in 2023. 

He’s due a base salary of $15.8 million in the final year of his contract in 2025. 

In 2024, Hendrickson appeared in all 17 games for the Bengals and recorded 46 total tackles, 19 tackles for loss, 17.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and six pass defenses.

We’ll have more on Hendrickson as the news is available.