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On Sunday, reports surfaced from NFL Network's Ian Rapoport that the Cincinnati Bengals were opening up trade discussions on star pass rusher Trey Hendrickson. Hendrickson and the Bengals have been unable to come to terms on a new contract this summer, which has opened up the door to immense speculation about his future with the franchise.
Despite Sunday's flurry of opposing teams' fans putting together their best trade packages for the disgruntled star, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic provided some much-needed context to the discussions.
“What I know about Trey Hendrickson’s situation: It hasn’t changed. This isn’t the Bengals casting a line out to drum up interest. The Bengals will always listen. The asking price continues to be significant. It’s highly unlikely a team will pay it — and also pay Trey,” he reported on X, formerly Twitter.
If this is the case, it would mean the Bengals are likely just trying to put more pressure on Hendrickson and his camp to come to terms on a deal as opposed to actually harboring a desire to trade him.
Meanwhile, NFL insider Jordan Schultz also added to the flurry of reporting, noting that “The #Bengals want to keep Trey Hendrickson, and Hendrickson himself wants to stay in Cincinnati and finish his career there,” but that the talks “keep hitting a wall,” per a source.
“There was some thought that Hendrickson reporting to camp would help move things forward, but the same contract issues remain unresolved,” he added.
Tough times for the Bengals
The only thing keeping the Cincinnati Bengals' defense from being the worst unit in the NFL last year was the pass rushing brilliance of Hendrickson, who has set franchise records during his time with the team.
Even with Hendrickson in the lineup, the Bengals' defense–or lack thereof–was still the clear reason that the team missed the playoffs for a second straight year, but without him, it's possible that Cincinnati could freefall all the way down to the NFL's cellar.
The Bengals are slated to kick off their 2025 season on the road against the Cleveland Browns on September 7.
