"It has become personal" - Trey Hendrickson hints at holdout amid Bengals contract standoff
More details have emerged from Trey Hendrickson's camp amid contractual disputes between the 2024 NFL sack leader and the Cincinnati Bengals. On Monday, Hendrickson revealed he and his camp have had no contact with the front office post-NFL draft.
Hendrickson's relationship with the front office has become increasingly strained over the offseason. The first-team All-Pro selection requested a trade in March, before the team signed both Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to respective four-year deals, leaving little wiggle room to extend the star pass-rusher.
Things are going from bad to worse between Hendrickson and Cincinnati, as details continued to emerge on Tuesday. NFL insider Warren Sharp revealed that from the contractual standoff, Hendrickson hinted at a potential holdout entering offseason programs.
"I definitely am disappointed," Hendrickson said. "It's become personal, unfortunately. If I sat here with four sacks, they'd want a pay cut and some money back. I'm not going to apologize for the rates being paid to defensive ends in the NFL."
Sharp noted the immense discrepancy in output between Hendrickson and other Bengals pass rushers over the past two seasons, while the four-time Pro-Bowler racked up 35 sacks and 35 tackles for loss, earning the first All-Pro selection of his career in 2024. He added that Hendrickson doesn't intend to suit up for Cincinnati under his current deal.
Trey Hendrickson eyeing deal in ballpark of Myles Garrett, Maxx Crosby
On Warren Sharp's report, Trey Hendrickson noted he "won't apologize for the rates being paid to defensive ends in the NFL." The Cleveland Browns signed Myles Garrett to a four-year $160 million deal on March 9, while the Las Vegas Raiders inked Maxx Crosby to a three-year $106.5 million contract on March 5.
This is a wide pay gap compared to Crosby's $15.8 million salary for the 2025 season. The Bengals have roughly $26.2 million in top-51 cap space, leaving reason to believe both sides could meet to settle on a deal despite recent struggles.
Hendrickson will likely look to land in the ballpark of Garrett and Crosby's contracts, who are each set to earn north of $30 million. Cincinnati's top defender has performed as one of the league's best edge rushers over the past two seasons despite lackluster overall performances from the team's defensive unit.