Trey Hendrickson explains why he's back practicing with Bengals following his trade request

The last two months have been a little bit of everything for Cincinnati Bengals edge defender Trey Hendrickson. The 3-time Pro Bowler requested a trade from the Bengals, and was seen practicing with the team for the first time Monday afternoon.

Per Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com, Hendrickson's initial trade request was made back in March despite being publicized in late April. Considering he's been putting in work behind the scenes at Paycor Stadium throughout the past two months, what he truly wants seems very clear.

"This is where separating business and the team is difficult," Hendrickson told Hobson. "At what point am I contradicting what I want? Long-term, winning games, all those things are what I want to do here in Cincinnati and removing myself from the team doesn't help the team."

Hendrickson shows his commitment to Cincinnati

The crux of Hendrickson's original discontent was the Bengals' lack of long-term commitment towards him. The one-year extension and raise they agreed on last year wasn't enough to satisfy the 29-year old sack artist.

A meeting between both sides was reportedly set to happen following the draft. Based on Hendrickson's comments, tensions seem to be subsided for now.

"They do their job well," Hendrickson said of the Bengals' front office. "They were transparent and respectful." 

Hendrickson is one of the best players at his position and is incredibly valuable to the Bengals' defense. Wanting to be compensated fairly for that is understandable, but the Bengals weren't going to offer another raise a year after conducting business with him. 

Now that cooler heads have prevailed, Hendrickson's offseason will continue to revolve around his ultimate goal. 

"My mindset is to win a Super Bowl and I think we've got the quarterback and the pieces to do it," Hendrickson said. "I want to be here a long time. I want to win football games and I want to bring a Super Bowl to Cincinnati."

A Lombardi Trophy would certainly add more leverage in his back pocket for future negotiations. Hendrickson is a year away from his next contract year. Should he continue to perform at a high level, it's possible the Bengals return to the table for more talks.

The remainder of offseason workouts, training camp, and the season ahead stand in the way of that possibility. Hendrickson's focus is on the right things now that will lead to what he wants in the future.

"What the 2024, 2025 Bengals look like, today was the first brick."