A few days back, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that the Bengals and Trey Hendrickson have “resumed talks,” but added that they’re “not any further along,” as the Bengals’ star continues his holdout with training camp approaching. The Bengals have said all the right things about Hendrickson. He’s valued, and he’s in the plans, but if you’ve followed this team long enough, you know how that usually ends. With contracts stalled, age working against him, and a front office known for moving slow, Hendrickson’s standoff has started to feel less like a dispute and more like a breaking point.
Hendrickson is entering the final year of his deal and wants more than a short-term fix. After posting 17.5 sacks in 2024, tied for the league lead. He’s pushing for long-term security, reportedly in the range of $40 million guaranteed. The Bengals haven’t budged. He skipped mandatory minicamp, and according to ESPN, he’s willing to hold out into the regular season if no extension is reached. A trade, once unthinkable, is no longer off the table. And if history is any clue, Cincinnati might already be bracing for impact.
The Bengals made their priorities clear this offseason: secure Ja’Marr Chase, lock in Tee Higgins, and keep the offensive nucleus intact. In doing so, they’ve left Hendrickson, one of their most consistent defensive anchors, waiting. Publicly, the front office insists there have been no trade talks and that Hendrickson remains part of the plan. But behind that statement lies a standoff: a 30-year-old edge rusher asking for a contract in the ballpark of Maxx Crosby, while the team hesitates to commit long-term money to a veteran already defying their age curve. It’s not that Hendrickson expects $40 million a year like Myles Garrett. But if the number doesn’t come close to Crosby’s $35M range, the negotiations may never move forward.
And the reluctance is not hidden. As revealed in a report by CBS Sports recently, “If this holdout goes into late August, the Bengals will have little choice but to trade Hendrickson. They shouldn’t do that, but Hendrickson has the leverage here. This deal needs to be done early in training camp.”
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If this impasse stretches into late August, the Bengals will find themselves boxed in. Trading Hendrickson would be the last resort, but it’s becoming harder to rule out. He has leverage, and he knows it. The Bengals rarely offer multi-year extensions to players his age, yet Hendrickson continues to press for one, and his résumé more than justifies it. In 2024 alone, he accounted for nearly half of Cincinnati’s sacks and was first among all edge rushers with 83 total pressures. With such dominance and four straight Pro Bowl nods plus a First‑Team All‑Pro selection, there’s no debate: Hendrickson isn’t a flash‑in‑the‑pan. He’s been the tone-setter for a defense that’s lacked identity in recent years. Still, while the stars on offense got paid, Hendrickson remains in limbo, waiting on the kind of security Cincinnati has historically been reluctant to give.
And for the fans, this all feels eerily familiar. T.J. Houshmandzadeh once lived through the same silence and uncertainty. “I know when I left Bengal[s] it was strictly a financial decision,” he recalled. Houshmandzadeh left for Seattle. The replacements flamed out in less than a season. It wasn’t just poor judgment. It was part of a pattern. Delay negotiations, throw out a lowball offer, then redirect the money elsewhere in a panic. For Trey Hendrickson and the locker room watching this unfold, the tension is real. And for the fans? The fear is simple: that history is already repeating itself.
The one player who might force the Bengals to break their own rules
The Bengals have long been defined by their hard stance on contracts. Short-term deals, low guarantees, little flexibility. But Trey Hendrickson’s recent dominance may be the one thing powerful enough to force Cincinnati off script. Jeremy Fowler said it plainly on SportsCenter: “They know they need this guy.” That urgency is beginning to show. For once, the organization isn’t just holding firm. Inside the locker room, cracks are forming. Rookie first-round pick Shemar Stewart recently stirred headlines by saying the team sometimes prioritizes “winning contract arguments over winning games.” That’s not the kind of noise you expect from a newcomer, unless the frustration is contagious.
Behind the scenes, tensions have escalated. Hendrickson’s issues with the front office didn’t just start during minicamp. They trace back to voluntary workouts, where he first signaled his discontent. Since then, conversations have grown increasingly personal. The Bengals typically build contracts with easy outs, protecting themselves over the long term. But Hendrickson isn’t just another player aging out of his prime. He’s the outlier. The rare defensive end who’s improved into his thirties. And the longer they drag this out, the more likely it becomes that this rift affects not just one contract but the morale of the entire defense.
Four straight years of elite edge production. Hendrickson hasn’t slowed down. He’s surged. So when he asks for long-term security, it’s not a gamble. It’s a receipt. He’s earned the right to demand more than a team-friendly bridge deal. This isn’t about ego or power plays. It’s about recognition. If the Bengals want to stick to their usual model, they’re free to do so, but it might cost them the heartbeat of their defense. Because this time, the usual playbook might not work. And if Cincinnati doesn’t adjust, they might not just lose a player. They might lose the locker room.
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