Cincinnati Bengals’ Trey Hendrickson expressed frustration over the lack of progress in contract negotiations with the team.
The 30-year-old edge rusher has felt the impact of these challenging discussions and reached out to the Bengals’ management on Monday.
“There’s been no dialogue between my team and the organization since the draft,” Hendrickson stated to ESPN.
“The pre-draft offers didn’t match the vision we had discussed. They were assured a solid offseason if I maintained a high performance level. The coaches are aware of our previous conversations. Instead of working together towards a resolution, they’ve stopped communicating altogether.”
As he enters the final year of a four-year, $60 million contract he signed in 2021, Hendrickson has made it clear he desires a new deal, particularly after a standout season last year.
This season, he will earn a base salary of $15.8 million.
Hendrickson led the league in sacks last season with 17.5, marking his fourth consecutive trip to the Pro Bowl. Throughout his time with the Bengals, he has achieved 57 sacks in 65 games.
Additionally, there’s been chatter around the organization as they recently extended a lucrative contract to receiver Tee Higgins, which seems to have added to Hendrickson’s concerns.
His frustration has amplified over recent months, with calls for Executive Katie Blackburn. On April 1st, Blackburn commented on the situation during an interview, noting, “You might think he should be satisfied with a certain salary, but it seems he’s not.” She acknowledged the communication issues over the past few months.
