The Cincinnati Bengals have completed their organized team activities (OTAs) and are wrapping up their mandatory minicamp on Thursday before giving their players a few weeks off to rest and recover ahead of training camp.
While the Bengals have addressed a few of their contract disputes this offseason, signing wideouts Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to four-year extensions and releasing linebacker Germaine Pratt, they still have a couple of situations to figure out.
The most pressing issue right now is defensive end Trey Hendrickson, who is entering the final year of a $60 million extension that he signed ahead of the 2023 season.
On Wednesday, CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin predicted that Hendrickson will miss the start of the year (Week 1 vs. the Cleveland Browns) before signing a two-year, $64 million extension to remain with Cincinnati.
“Perhaps no player-team divide is greater than the one unfolding in Cincinnati, where the Bengals’ only difference-making edge rusher is on Year 2 of a seemingly unending contract dispute,” Benjamin wrote. “Hendrickson has repeatedly gone public with his issues, accusing Bengals brass of reversing a promise to reward his elite sack production with longer-term guarantees.
“Do the Bengals want to fork over big bucks to an aging, expensive defender after ponying up the dough for two wide receivers this year? Probably not. But what else are they going to do to generate a pass rush? If they wanted to deal him for premium picks, they could’ve done so long ago. We anticipate another lucrative yet Band-Aid resolution.”
The 30-year-old former third-round pick of the New Orleans Saints has been one of the best pass rushers in the league over the last five seasons (four with Cincinnati and one with New Orleans). During that span, he has the third-most sacks in the NFL behind Pittsburgh’s T.J. Watt and Cleveland’s Myles Garrett.
On his current contract, Hendrickson is set to make $15.8 million in base salary and $200,000 in per-game roster bonuses. And while that isn’t chump change, it’s nowhere near what he’s worth. Even a $64 million extension (at $32 million per season) is still less annually than Garrett ($40 million), Danielle Hunter ($35.6 million), Maxx Crosby (35.5 million) and Nick Bosa ($34 million).
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However, with Hendrickson losing money every practice he skips (as well as every game), he may be willing to accept a deal like this to get back on to the field.
If this isn’t the resolution, Cincinnati will have to either trade Hendrickson elsewhere, hope he comes back early on his own or wait until he can’t skip anymore games without his contract tolling.
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