Trey Hendrickson is back in Cincinnati. But, oddly enough, he hasn’t secured a new contract. The standout Bengals defensive player has agreed to end his holdout, as mentioned by ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Despite this, it seems there’s no new deal on the horizon for Hendrickson and the Bengals. At 30 years old, Hendrickson was the last player to hold out during this training camp. It’s still uncertain whether he will jump into practice as he awaits a potential new agreement.
This news arrives just days after rookie defensive lineman Shemar Stewart resolved his lengthy standoff with the team. Hendrickson shared that he had been in Jacksonville, Florida, and was open to signing a contract, even if it meant a smaller payday. However, he felt the offers fell short of the guarantees he wanted and didn’t want to cause any disruption.
“I spent the last 30 days at my home in Cincinnati, right across the river from the stadium,” Hendrickson noted. He indicated that he received two offers, neither of which included the crucial guarantees he was looking for. He expressed a desire to be present but couldn’t bear being away from practice any longer, as it was tough to sit back and listen to the sounds of practice while feeling like he was missing out. He didn’t want to negatively impact the upcoming season for his teammates who are navigating their own contract situations.
The Bengals’ President, Mike Brown, has stated that they’re not looking to trade Hendrickson, who is in the final year of his current deal. Brown addressed reporters last week, saying, “We’re not going to replace Trey. We’re working on getting him re-signed.” He expressed optimism about the talks happening behind the scenes.
Hendrickson has emerged as one of the premier edge rushers in the league, having led with 17.5 sacks last season—an effort that earned him his first All-Pro selection. His pass rush grade of 90.4 on Pro Football Focus places him fifth among 211 players. Now, he’s hoping to secure a contract that rivals the significant deals of others, like the Steelers’ T.J. Watt, who landed an impressive $123 million payday earlier in July.
