It’s never quiet in Cincinnati.
Long gone are the days of the Bengals just going about their business, staying out of the headlines and remaining out of the league spotlight.
Those days are gone because you have Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins forming one of the most talented and entertaining (and expensive) trios in the NFL.
Oh, and because of disgruntled star pass-rusher Trey Hendrickson, who has publicly voiced his frustrations with the organization and front office on a few occasions.
On Monday afternoon, Hendrickson gave an update on where his negotiations currently stand in looking for a new contract.
A contract that he richly deserves after leading the league in sacks last season with 17.5.
Hendrickson released the statement to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
“No communication has taken place between my camp and the organization post-draft,” Hendrickson said.
“The offers prior to the draft did not reflect the vision we shared and were promised last offseason if I continued to play at a high level.
“Coaches are aware of these past conversations. Rather than using collaboration to get us to a point to bring me home to the team, THEY are no longer communicating.
“I have been eagerly awaiting a resolution of this situation, but that’s hard to do when there is no discussion and an evident lack of interest in reaching mutual goals.”
While the reputation that the Bengals and team owner Mike Brown have accumulated over the years is that they are cheap, they have also broken precedent the last few seasons.
They signed Burrow to a five-year, $275m contract in 2023, making him the highest paid player in the league at the time.
Less than two months ago, they reached historic deals with star wide receivers Chase and Higgins.
The Bengals made Chase the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history by inking him to a four-year, $161m extension.
And they gave Higgins a four-year, $116m deal.
In other words, the Bengals have spent big on their big three.
$551m to be exact.
They, of course, have also cost themselves millions by waiting to get all these deals done, as the bill always comes due in the end, but nonetheless, the deals got done.
The same can’t be said for Hendrickson, as he heads into the 2025 season with just one year left on his contract.
In 2023, Hendrickson was given a one-year extension on the four-year, $60m he originally signed for in free agency when arriving to Cincinnati back in 2021.
Since then, he has the third most sacks in the league, trailing only Myles Garrett and T.J. Watt.
Hendrickson has made four Pro Bowls in his four seasons in the Queen City and last season was a member of the First-Team All-Pro squad, while finishing second in the Defensive Player of the Year race.
Safe to say, he is more than worthy of a new contract.
But in Cincinnati’s defense, it’s also fair to say that Hendrickson signed the extension only two seasons ago, and should be expected to play it out.
It feels like the situation is headed towards a messy resolution, whatever that may end up being.
