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With training camp looming and storylines swirling around, the Cincinnati Bengals have reportedly made a significant move in their high-profile contract standoff with star pass rusher Trey Hendrickson. Multiple reports confirm that the Bengals delivered a fresh offer to Hendrickson in recent days, hoping to resolve a months-long impasse that has shadowed the team’s offseason and threatened to disrupt defensive continuity heading into 2025.
Fresh Negotiations Between Trey Hendrickson and the Bengals
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Cincinnati sent at least one new contract extension offer to Hendrickson just as the team’s veterans prepare to report for camp. This notable step comes after a steady drip of tension-filled developments dating back to spring, when Hendrickson—fresh off an NFL-leading 17.5 sack campaign—made it public he would not suit up under the terms of his current deal, which pays him a base of $15.8 million in 2025.
From @GMFB: The beginning of training camp is upon us, and the #Cowboys and #Bengals are in focus with a few key to-do items. pic.twitter.com/sMTbPSFXmq
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 21, 2025
From the start, both sides recognized the stakes. Hendrickson, 30, has played the best football of his career over the past two seasons, totaling 35 sacks and earning consecutive Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors. With several premier pass rushers resetting the market—Myles Garrett, Maxx Crosby, and Danielle Hunter among them with deals exceeding $35 million per year—Hendrickson’s camp has insisted on a substantial raise that reflects his standing among the NFL’s elite.
While the precise figures from Cincinnati’s latest offer have not been disclosed, earlier reports suggested the Bengals previously floated terms in the realm of $28 million per year, a significant bump from Hendrickson’s current base salary, but still potentially shy of the market-leading annual values. The financial component isn’t the only point of contention. Hendrickson, seeking long-term stability in the twilight of his prime, reportedly wants more than a short-term arrangement. In contrast, insider reports indicate the Bengals have focused on a shorter deal averaging around two years, a structure Hendrickson sees as insufficient to provide the security and recognition he desires after serving as the troupe’s defensive linchpin since arriving in 2021.
This is why you pay Trey Hendrickson pic.twitter.com/kfruNOEdsX
— Chaston Scott (@CinCity808) June 16, 2025
Earlier this offseason, the parties’ standoff reached a new high when the Bengals, for a time, granted Hendrickson’s request to seek a trade extension partner. Interest materialized, but nothing substantive developed, and both sides were left to attempt another round of negotiations. Leading into mandatory minicamp in June, Hendrickson’s absence from OTAs and public stating he would not play without a renegotiated contract only amplified the urgency.
Win-Now Window and Locker Room Chemistry
For the Bengals, resolving the Hendrickson situation is imperative as the franchise eyes a pivotal 2025 season. After extending franchise cornerstones Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to long-term deals, Cincinnati finds itself with the financial resources to reward Hendrickson and maintain stability at a premium position, one that accounted for nearly 48% of the team’s 2024 sacks.
BURROW TO CHASE. 41-YARD TD.
📺: #BALvsCIN on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/h3rhLDEBwTpic.twitter.com/7ICWRaABeq— Ja’Marr Chase’s Burner🫡 (@JaMarrMVP_) January 27, 2025
Cincinnati’s calculated cap management leaves them with enough flexibility, $27.6 million in space for 2025, to accommodate a new deal, provided the structure balances the team’s long-term aspirations with the reality of Hendrickson’s age and injury risk. League insiders believe the Bengals have more to lose. Shedding an elite pass rusher to a trade or a holdout scenario could wound the defense irreparably and undercut ambitions of returning to the postseason, especially with a two-year playoff drought intensifying organizational urgency.
Can the Two Sides Find Common Ground?
Multiple league executives polled express optimism that a compromise, getting Hendrickson above the $30 million annual threshold while offering enough guarantees to satisfy his camp, is possible and perhaps essential for both sides. Hendrickson’s leverage is nuanced; while he has few suitors willing to match his contract demands in a trade, his indispensable production places him in an enviable, if precarious, negotiating position.
Head coach Zac Taylor and the Bengals front office, led by Duke Tobin, have repeatedly expressed their intention to retain Hendrickson but have also indicated unwillingness to mortgage financial flexibility for the future. The latest offer signals a renewed sincerity to end the impasse, avoid a training camp distraction, and hit the ground running in a fiercely competitive AFC North.
Training camp always serves as the crucible for NFL teams, but this year its arrival seems to represent a deadline for the Bengals and Trey Hendrickson. Both parties have laid their cards on the table; now, the question becomes whether urgency and pragmatism eclipse past frustrations and bridge the gap. Bengals fans and NFL observers will no doubt be watching every development closely as a franchise’s Super Bowl ambitions hinge, in part, on the future of its defensive superstar.
