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If the Cincinnati Bengals were hoping to have Trey Hendrickson's contract situation resolved by training camp, they came up well short in their latest attempt. The team's most recent effort to get its star defensive end back into the locker room was one of its worst, according to former linebacker turned analyst Manti Te'o.
The Bengals recently made an offer to extend Hendrickson, but one that the edge-rusher was insulted by, according to Te'o on NFL Network's ‘Good Morning Football.' Te'o said he spoke to Hendrickson recently and called the guaranteed rate “atrociously, atrociously low,” via NFL insider Tom Pelissero.
Te'o did not reveal the amount offered, but only that Hendrickson did not feel it was a fair amount. NFL insider Ian Rapoport previously reported that the Bengals were committed to extending Hendrickson before training camp began.
Cincinnati previously extended wideouts Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins earlier in the offseason, but continues to engage in puzzling headaches. As bad as the Hendrickson situation is, the Bengals seem to be even further from coming to terms with first-round pick Shemar Stewart. The 21-year-old, who is the only first-round pick to remain unsigned, is still away from the team with no end in sight.
Bengals begin training camp without Trey Hendrickson
As teams around the league begin to report back for training camp, none are in a more precarious situation than the Bengals. Though the franchise has dealt with similar holdouts before, their situation with Hendrickson and Stewart is one of the most unique in recent history.
Cincinnati will begin training camp on Tuesday, with Hendrickson and Stewart nowhere to be found. Neither are anywhere near the team facilities, with Hendrickson posting on Instagram that he is back in his home state of Florida. The reigning sacks leader appears to still desire a resolution, but refuses to play on the final year of his contract without an extension.
The Bengals previously gave Hendrickson permission to seek a trade, but nothing truly materialized from that venture. Cincinnati plays its first preseason game on Aug. 7, precisely one month before officially kicking off the 2025 season against the Cleveland Browns in Week 1.
