NFL Trade Rumors: Teams label Bengals’ asking price for Trey Hendrickson “ridiculous”
NFL insider Dianna Russini revealed on Thursday that several NFL teams believe that the asking price for Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson is too high.
On March 6, NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport broke the news on X that the Bengals permitted Hendrickson to seek a trade.
"The #Bengals have given Pro Bowl Edge Trey Hendrickson permission to seek a trade, per me and @TomPelissero," Rapoport tweeted.
However, as Russini's recent report highlighted, teams are having trouble working out a trade for the Bengals star.
Why are teams finding it difficult to trade for Trey Hendrickson?
Trey Hendrickson's situation is unique as he is looking for a long-term contract extension but still has one more season left on his deal with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Teams will not only need to pay Hendrickson a large sum of money for an extension, but they will also likely need to send various top draft picks and/or players to the Bengals in exchange for the star defensive player.
As Dianna Russini reported, Cincinnati has a high asking price for him, making the situation more complex and complicated.
"Teams are willing to pay Trey Hendrickson the contract that he desires but have found Cincinnati’s current asking price to be 'ridiculous,' as one GM told me. The Bengals can adjust as the offseason progresses, but right now, teams aren’t willing to meet their terms," Russini tweeted on Thursday.
Trey Hendrickson is one of the best defensive players in the NFL
After being drafted in the third round and 103rd overall in the 2017 NFL draft, Hendrickson has become one of the most consistent and dominant defensive players in the NFL.
Over the past five years, he has elite sack totals of 13.5 (2020), 14 (2021), 8.0 (2022), 17.5 (2023) and 17.5 (2024).
According to Spotrac, Hendrickson's next contract is projected to be a two-year $62,931,710 deal. They project his average annual market value to be around $31.5 million per season.
Although Hendrickson will be expensive, he is one of the best defensive players in the entire league, making the Bengals' decision to not seek a long-term extension surprising.
Cincinnati was tied for 25th in the NFL last year in points against per game with Hendrickson and losing the elite defensive player could prove to be detrimental to its pursuit of a Super Bowl.
With the long-term future wide receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins up in the air, the Bengals might be unwilling to pay their star players, which could lead them and Joe Burrow to question their futures with the franchise down the line.