It seems the Cincinnati Bengals are coming to their senses regarding contract negotiations with their top pass-rusher.
On Sunday, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported the Bengals have resumed contract talks with star edge-rusher Trey Hendrickson (h/t ESPN’s Ben Baby).
Hendrickson — who is entering the final year of a contract that will pay him $15.8M this upcoming season — has been gridlocked in contract negotiations with the team throughout the offseason. He held out of mandatory minicamp and skewered the team for a lack of communication at OTAs.
“When there’s a lack of communication in any relationship, where it’s a business or a personal relationship, lack of communication leads to animosity, and that leaves my narrative only to me with no clear direction,” Hendrickson said May 13, via Baby.
Hendrickson, 30, certainly deserves a deal that would make him one of the highest-paid pass-rushers in the league.
In four seasons with the Bengals, he has had 57 sacks, making four Pro Bowls. Last season, he recorded a league-leading 17.5 sacks in 17 regular-season games, earning a first-team All-Pro nod.
In the 2025 NFL Draft, the Bengals took Texas A&M edge-rusher Shemar Stewart with pick No. 17 to potentially gain more leverage in contract negotiations with Hendrickson. However, the team bungled this plan.
Stewart has yet to sign his rookie contract because of a dispute over the deal’s language. He also left mandatory minicamp.
“I’m 100 percent right,” Stewart said of the dispute on June 10, per The Athletic’s Sarah Jean Maher. “I’m not asking nothing y’all have never done before. But in y’all case, y’all just want to win an argument instead of winning more games.”
Signing both pass-rushers would help the Bengals win more games, which they’ve struggled to do over the past two seasons. Cincinnati went 9-8 in 2024, missing the playoffs for a second consecutive season.
The Bengals have made a mess of their contract situations this offseason. But at least they’ve contacted Hendrickson again, which could help them make amends with the defensive stud.
