Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson. Scott Galvin-Imagn Images

Trey Hendrickson offers blunt update on contract dispute

By Clark Dalton | Last updated May 12, 2025 2:38 PM ET

The Cincinnati Bengals seem to be giving EDGE Trey Hendrickson the silent treatment in contract negotiations.

Hendrickson is entering the final year of his contract and has received permission to seek a trade. On Monday, he released a statement to ESPN's Adam Schefter, ripping the team for not contacting him since the NFL Draft in April.

"No communication has taken place between my camp and the organization post draft," Hendrickson told 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."

Hendrickson led the league in sacks (17.5 in 17 games) last season, earning a first-team All-Pro nod.

While he's a cornerstone of the team's defense, the 30-year-old suggested the team is unwilling to budge in contract negotiations.

"Coaches are aware of these past conversations," Hendrickson said. "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."

Trey Hendrickson statement today to ESPN: “No communication has taken place between my camp and the organization post draft. 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… pic.twitter.com/2MKBL60ATg
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 12, 2025

Hendrickson may have a point. In April, Bengals executive vice president Katie Blackburn told the Cincinnati Enquirer's Kelsey Conway, "I think some of it's on [Hendrickson] to be happy at some point."

Cincinnati selected a potential replacement for Hendrickson in the draft, grabbing Texas A&M EDGE Shemar Stewart with pick No. 17.

However, Stewart had just 4.5 sacks in three seasons with the Aggies. He also has yet to sign his rookie contract.

Why can't the Bengals sign their pass-rushers? Cap space doesn't seem like the answer. Spotrac estimates Cincinnati has $27.07M in cap space after signing wide receivers Tee Higgins (four years, $115M) and Ja'Marr Chase (four years, $161M) to extensions this offseason.

That's not a boatload of cap space, but it still should be enough to extend Hendrickson. According to Spotrac, his market value is a two-year deal with $31.5M annually.

Signing Hendrickson before training camp on July 24 would make life easier for the Bengals. For some reason, though, they may be making negotiations difficult. Until something changes, expect this storyline to loom over the team throughout the offseason.

Clark Dalton

Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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