Dianna Russini of The Athletic said on the “Scoop City” podcast that she’s getting “really good vibes” out of Cincinnati that the Bengals are trying to get a long-term deal done with DE Trey Hendrickson.
Some assumed that the Bengals’ decision to draft Shemar Stewart in round one was an indication that the team was prepared to move on from Hendrickson, who has been available for trade for several months now.
The Bengals have already got major extensions in place for WR Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins this offseason, so there has been some question about whether they could afford another big-money deal.
However, Russini says that Cincinnati is trying to move money around and figure out a way to retain their star defensive end. Even so, Russini gets the sense that Hendrickson could end up taking a bit of a discount to remain with the Bengals.
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.
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