The Cincinnati Bengals need to make some aggressive moves during the 2025 NFL offseason. Cincinnati was one of the most disappointing teams in the NFL during the 2024 season. The Bengals barely missed out on the playoffs after a dreadful start to the season put them in too deep of a hole.

Now the Bengals need to figure out how to upgrade their defense, and keep their core players together, before trying again in 2025.

It has already been an eventful offseason for the Bengals. Veteran defensive lineman Sam Hubbard announced his retirement from the NFL in early March. His retirement increases the need for Cincinnati to upgrade on defense.

The Bengals also completed a few huge contract extensions. Cincinnati extended both Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins on four-year contracts, locking them down for a long time.

While this move gives the Bengals some stability on offense moving forward, it does limit their options for handing out other contract extensions.

Joe Burrow has been vocal that Cincinnati also needs to extend superstar Trey Hendrickson this offseason. Hendrickson is the best defensive player the Bengals have, so it makes sense to keep him around if they can afford it.

But can the Bengals afford to extend Hendrickson after handing out two other large contracts?

Below we will explore the perfect contract offer the Bengals should make to Trey Hendrickson after signing both Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins earlier in March.

The Bengals need to make this perfect contract offer to Trey Hendrickson

Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson (91) celebrates as the Steelers prepare to punt in the fourth quarter of the NFL Week 18 game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cincinnati Bengals at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. The Bengals won 19-17 to finish the regular season at 9-8.

The Bengals need to offer Trey Hendrickson a massive contract extension to keep him in Cincinnati.

I am proposing that Cincinnati should offer Hendrickson a four-year contract worth roughly $128 million. This contract would have an average annual value around $32 million per season.

According to Spotrac, Trey Hendrickson has a market value of roughly $31.5 million per season on a new contract.

That would be a large pay raise from his current contract, which comes with a $18.67 million cap hit in 2025. Hendrickson only has one more year left on this contract, so it makes sense that he would want a new deal wherever he plays in 2025.

Spotrac looked at previous edge rusher contracts to come up with Hendrickson's contract value. When looking at those contracts, it is hard to argue against giving him a big extension.

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Here are a few of those contracts for reference:

  • Nick Bosa – five-year contract worth $170 million – $34 million per season – signed at age 25
  • Myles Garrett – four-year contract worth $160 million – $40 million per season – sign at age 29
  • Maxx Crosby – four-year contract worth $94 million – $23.5 million per season – signed at age 24
  • Danielle Hunter – two-year contract worth $49 million – $24.5 million per season – signed at age 29

One clear trend from this data is that edge rusher don't often receive huge contract extensions in their 30s. Hendrickson will turn 31 years old during the 2025 season, so age could be a minor concern for the Bengals.

That said, Hendrickson is certainly worthy of a contract in that ballpark. He is coming off back-to-back seasons with 17.5 sacks, which makes him one of the best pass rushers in the NFL.

The Bengals are more likely to extend Hendrickson than they are to trade him. There is significant interest in Hendrickson around the NFL, but the Bengals still do not prefer to send him away.

Unfortunately, it is difficult to truly understand Cincinnati's financial situation enough to predict if they'll offer him a similar contract.

One factor to consider is the structure of the contracts for Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. The Bengals will need a certain amount of cap space to consider giving Hendrickson a big raise. According to Over the Cap, the Bengals should have $23.93 million in cap space in 2025 after those big extensions.

Therefore, from a cap perspective, the Bengals could keep him as long as they are clever with structuring his contract.

There is also a strictly financial angle to consider. NFL teams have to hand out signing bonuses when large extensions are signed. They also need to put money in escrow for any guaranteed money included in a contract.

It is fair to question how much cash the Bengals have on hand after handing out two massive extensions this month.

Hopefully the Bengals can find a way to pay Hendrickson before the 2025 NFL Draft in April. That would give the Bengals more clarity on how to use their picks.