The Cincinnati Bengals need Trey Hendrickson.
There aren’t many people who would dispute that. With 17.5 sacks in each of the past two seasons, Hendrickson is a defensive superstar on a team otherwise devoid of defensive talent.
But Hendrickson is holding out, because he wants a contract extension.
Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, coming off his own contract extension, said that Hendrickson deserves one, too.
NFL.com’s Tom Blair writes that the Bengals need to pay “the going rate” to keep Hendrickson around.
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The going rate would be something akin to Myles Garrett’s $40 million per year from the Browns. Hendrickson may not earn the same four-year deal if he got a salary close to that mark, though.
“We don’t need to recount every time Hendrickson’s monetary tug of war with the Bengals has bubbled into public view to understand the stark disparity between his compensation and his production,” Blair writes. “In 2024, Hendrickson led the NFL with 17.5 sacks, the same total he had in 2023, giving him 35 over the past two seasons — more than anyone else in the league in that time period… His average per year (APY) of $21 million ranks 11th among edge rushers and 30th among all defenders. I understand the apprehension to committing significant cap space to another individual, given that Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins are all bound to lucrative long-term deals, but Cincinnati was sunk last season by the subpar performance of a defense that is not exactly crawling with star power.”
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The Bengals won’t get Joe Burrow and company where they want to go without a solid defense.
Hendrickson is the foundation on that side of the ball. It’s worth paying whatever it takes to keep the sturdy foundation in place for the rest of Cincinnati to stand strong.
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