After months of talks, Trey Hendrickson and the Cincinnati Bengals are finally approaching a deal. The Bengals and Hendrickson have reportedly agreed to a $14 million raise on his existing contract, per multiple reports.
Hendrickson is on the final year of his contract, and was set to make $15.8 million in base salary. The new agreement will boost his salary next year to $30 million, making him one of the highest-paid defenders in 2025.
Hendrickson and the Bengals have been down a long road to finish this deal
Just when it looked like things had stalled between the Bengals and Hendrickson yet again, the two sides started talking again on Monday. NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported Monday morning that the two sides were renewing talks, with the idea of increasing Hendrickson's pay this season while still letting the contract expire at the end of the year.
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A new one-year deal with a larger salary for this season could resolve the issue in the short term, though Cincinnati would find themselves in this spot again next offseason.
Hendrickson and Cincinnati have been caught in a stalemate for months, with the veteran exploring a trade as long ago as March. Last week, six months after that initial trade request, the Bengals were once again exploring trade options for Hendrickson as contract talks stalled again.
In May, Hendrickson said that he would not play this season under his current deal, saying that he had been promised a larger contract if he "continued to play at a high level." Hendrickson had the best season of his career in 2024, recording a career-high 33 solo tackles and 19 tackles for loss, as well as a career-high-tying, and league-leading, 17.5 sacks.
Hendrickson was initially a holdout for training camp, but eventually reported to camp a week later. After reporting, he told reporters that contract talks had remained "exactly the same" despite the weeks of attempting to come to an agreement.
Hendrickson sat out of all three of the Bengals' preseason games as part of a hold-in. Cincinnati only won one of those games, and struggled on defense. The team's third and final preseason game was a decisive 41-14 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, with the Colts racking up 472 total yards and 26 first downs in the win.
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