Trey Hendrickson’s holdout may be over, but there’s still no deal in sight for the Cincinnati Bengals pass rusher.
Hendrickson is set to end his holdout, the last of its kind across the league, and report to Bengals training camp Wednesday, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Hendrickson and the Bengals, however, are apparently no closer to reaching a new contract than they were during the holdout.
Advertisement
[Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season]
Hendrickson is under contract with the Bengals this fall, but it’s the final year of his current deal. He is set to make nearly $16 million this season, and will become a free agent next summer. The 30-year-old, though, has been angling for a new deal the entire offseason, and he made good on his threat to skip the start of camp because of it.
The 30-year-old led the league with 17.5 sacks last season, which marked his second straight campaign with that figure. He had a career-high 46 total tackles and picked up his fourth straight Pro Bowl nod.
It’s unclear where negotiations are at between Hendrickson and the Bengals, though he said earlier this month that the team’s initial offer was “atrociously, atrociously low.” He’s reportedly also seeking multiple years of guaranteed money, which appears to be another sticking point in the negotiations.
Advertisement
By comparison, Steelers pass rusher T.J. Watt reached a three-year, $123 million extension this offseason, which made him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history. Meanwhile, Raiders star Maxx Crosby reached a three-year, $106.5 million extension.
Though Bengals owner Mike Brown seemed optimistic that a deal would “get done” at the start of training camp, the team’s director of player personnel didn’t seem too confident that it would happen before their season opener against the Cleveland Browns on Sept. 7.
Hendrickson has undoubtedly established himself as one of the best defensive ends in the league in recent seasons. While he may not break the record Watt set, he clearly wants his next deal to be in that range.
Whether his decision to rejoin the team and end his holdout is enough to jumpstart those negotiations and get him to that place, however, remains to be seen.
Read the full article here
