The Cincinnati Bengals made some head-scratching picks during the 2025 NFL draft, leaving fans wondering what their game plan is moving forward. While the Bengals are obviously working on adding to the talent pool on their roster, some of the moves they made during the draft could be geared towards creating cap space that can be used to sign superstar pass rusher Trey Hendrickson to a long-term contract extension.

Cincinnati has already signed star wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to long-term deals this offseason, but they are still working on finding a way to keep Hendrickson in town. After drafting linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr. and left guard Dylan Fairchild, the Bengals front office could conceivably move on from Germaine Pratt and Cordell Volson, which would free up nearly $9 million in cap space.

“The Bengals did not trade Hendrickson on draft weekend. And a couple of selections could give Cincinnati extra cap room that will help if it wants to give Hendrickson the long-term deal he's looking for,” Ben Baby wrote for ESPN. “If second-round linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr. supplants Germaine Pratt, who has already requested a trade, and third-rounder Dylan Fairchild starts over Cordell Volson at left guard, Pratt and Volson become more expendable. Cutting the two veterans would give Cincinnati $8.9 million in additional cap space for this season and more financial flexibility in 2025.”

Bengals continuing to work on Trey Hendrickson contract extension

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The Bengals primary objective this offseason has been to find a way to sign Chase, Higgins, and Hendrickson to contract extensions. There's only so much money to go around, and that's without even mentioning the five-year, $275 million deal Joe Burrow signed back in 2023. So if Cincinnati could free up some cap space by moving on from these veterans, it could be just what they need to extend Hendrickson.

Considering how Hendrickson is fresh off the most dominant season of his career, which saw him rack up a league-leading 17.5 sacks, it's not too hard to see why he's demanding such a large pay raise. It's going to be a tall task for the Bengals to make the money work, but they are continuing to plug away, and they may have managed to find a solution during the draft.