Trey Hendrickson Update

[SunsetBengal]

(Yesterday, 05:09 PM)samhain Wrote: Trading him was reasonable a couple of months ago.  Now it's ride or die with him.  It's highly unlikely that they will get any kind of return that will help them in 2025.  It's 100 guaranteed that they'd lose they're only sure thing on defense.

This situation is an annoyance.  On paper the team has a big pile of leverage.  In reality, losing Trey turns an already middling-at-best defense into potentially one of the worst in the league.  

All the while the clock ticks on the Burrow era.  3 seasons of no playoffs will leave a mark.  It will leave a bigger mark if we have to watch another elite offensive performace negated by laughably bad defense.  

If Trey is willing to sit, he has them by the balls.

I agree, the front office needs to get their priorities in order. They need Trey to be a fundamental part of ushering in newer players to the defense, that seasoned veteran whose seen it all and done it all. Going all out to secure the stars on offense, while totally neglecting the lone defensive star sends a negative message to anyone playing on that side of the ball. Wonder how the morale is going in the defensive room?

[NUGDUKWE]

(Yesterday, 03:06 PM)THE PISTONS Wrote: I kind of get the Bengals side somewhat. That said, I'd pay Trey more.

You can't pay every player that has a great year more money. You just can't. That's what contract incentives and escalators are for.

That said, I think Trey is an exception. He's had 17.5 sacks each of the past 2 years.

The thing is, how many more years can you expect him to play at that level? He's 31 next year. Is he at his peak for 2/3 more years? Or will he decline. It's a risky bet.

Fans are kind of acting like he'll get 17.5 sacks each of the next 3 years. But, if you pay him $35 million a year and he drops down to 8 sacks, then it's a vast overpay.

The data says DEs with his sack #s tend to gradually decline. So if he remains healthy it seems likely he would still be a double digit sack guy for 3-4 years. What i would assume the contract would be for. 

But I think we've seen this scenario play out already and I don't expect him to be resigned. I think the no communication is because they just spent 2 first rd picks at the position the past 3 years and that's the plan moving forward. We probably ask him to play out his last year. The best Bengal scenario would be to do that and have Trey be around the top of sack leader this year and Murphy and Stewart combine for a few sacks. Definitely a winning formula.

[*Synric*]

I agree with the people saying this is probably Trey's agent attempting to get the Bengals back to the negotiating table. I don't think the two sides are close to a number considering they allowed Trey's team to seek a trade.

[NUGDUKWE]

For insight on how the Trey Hendrickson - Bengals situation probably has gone, listen to Andrew Whitworth describe his perspective and how he threatened to retire during the 2015 season.

Full show here: https://t.co/9TzWgyNtTM pic.twitter.com/KHB0exC9c8

— Goodberry (@JoeGoodberry) April 25, 2024

I know this has been posted before and probably seen by most. But it just feels so similar to the current situation. It's also still just beyond infuriating how we can be so inept and treat a player like Whitworth who went above and beyond in so many ways like they did. Not only did our replacement plan fail with him we've just continued to double down on this strategy with no good results I can think of.

[SunsetBengal]

(Yesterday, 06:37 PM)NUGDUKWE Wrote: The data says DEs with his sack #s tend to gradually decline. So if he remains healthy it seems likely he would still be a double digit sack guy for 3-4 years. What i would assume the contract would be for. 

But I think we've seen this scenario play out already and I don't expect him to be resigned. I think the no communication is because they just spent 2 first rd picks at the position the past 3 years and that's the plan moving forward. We probably ask him to play out his last year. The best Bengal scenario would be to do that and have Trey be around the top of sack leader this year and Murphy and Stewart combine for a few sacks. Definitely a winning formula.

I think that it's fair to say that the Bengals have enjoyed Trey's peak years thus far in his career. I, like you, don't feel like he's falling off of a cliff anytime soon. If any of the first round DEs that the Bengals have invested in recently can do their job, as well as bringing back a genuine 1T on the interior, I feel like Trey will be a force for at least 3 more years. It's not always who get's the most sacks that makes the biggest difference when the entire machine works as it should. See Philly DL last season.

[NUGDUKWE]

Yeah, Trey sounds very frustrated with the Bengals on the @PatMcAfeeShow

He says communication has been poor and they haven't talked to his agent directly.

"We don't have any desire to be the highest paid."

"Three years ago, I began to ask for a long term contract with…

— Goodberry (@JoeGoodberry) April 2, 2025

This was a post I was looking for as I remembered seeing a trey quote that he wasn't looking to be the highest paid. Seems like he probably wants a big contract but due more to the years.

[Truck_1_0_1_]

(Yesterday, 04:46 PM)CottonHill Wrote: I dont want to be rude here, but you are flat out wrong. he is not worth $40 mill a year, nor is he worth as much as Garret. I get the #s, but if you simply watch them bith you will see that MG effects the game much much more than TH....same as Watt, he is better as well. 

I am pissed at Trey for a few reasons, and dont think they should go crazy on and extension, but knowing the FO of the Bengals, i bet they are botching this badly. It sounds like they are forcing Trey and his team to go public and not communicating with him at all.
That is simply not a way to do business. You let Trey and his agent know where you are, what you are willing to do, and what you arent, but then you also be as transparent as possible with a guy who the city loves. 
It just sounds like a nightmare, along with the Stewart situation, hard to imagine a worse offseason for a non playoff team. 

(Yesterday, 05:09 PM)samhain Wrote: Trading him was reasonable a couple of months ago.  Now it's ride or die with him.  It's highly unlikely that they will get any kind of return that will help them in 2025.  It's 100 guaranteed that they'd lose they're only sure thing on defense.

This situation is an annoyance.  On paper the team has a big pile of leverage.  In reality, losing Trey turns an already middling-at-best defense into potentially one of the worst in the league.  

All the while the clock ticks on the Burrow era.  3 seasons of no playoffs will leave a mark.  It will leave a bigger mark if we have to watch another elite offensive performace negated by laughably bad defense.  

If Trey is willing to sit, he has them by the balls.

(Yesterday, 06:37 PM)NUGDUKWE Wrote: The data says DEs with his sack #s tend to gradually decline. So if he remains healthy it seems likely he would still be a double digit sack guy for 3-4 years. What i would assume the contract would be for. 

But I think we've seen this scenario play out already and I don't expect him to be resigned. I think the no communication is because they just spent 2 first rd picks at the position the past 3 years and that's the plan moving forward. We probably ask him to play out his last year. The best Bengal scenario would be to do that and have Trey be around the top of sack leader this year and Murphy and Stewart combine for a few sacks. Definitely a winning formula.

(Yesterday, 06:58 PM)NUGDUKWE Wrote:

For insight on how the Trey Hendrickson - Bengals situation probably has gone, listen to Andrew Whitworth describe his perspective and how he threatened to retire during the 2015 season.

Full show here: https://t.co/9TzWgyNtTM pic.twitter.com/KHB0exC9c8

— Goodberry (@JoeGoodberry) April 25, 2024

I know this has been posted before and probably seen by most. But it just feels so similar to the current situation. It's also still just beyond infuriating how we can be so inept and treat a player like Whitworth who went above and beyond in so many ways like they did. Not only did our replacement plan fail with him we've just continued to double down on this strategy with no good results I can think of.

(Yesterday, 07:02 PM)NUGDUKWE Wrote:

Yeah, Trey sounds very frustrated with the Bengals on the @PatMcAfeeShow

He says communication has been poor and they haven't talked to his agent directly.

"We don't have any desire to be the highest paid."

"Three years ago, I began to ask for a long term contract with…

— Goodberry (@JoeGoodberry) April 2, 2025

This was a post I was looking for as I remembered seeing a trey quote that he wasn't looking to be the highest paid. Seems like he probably wants a big contract but due more to the years.

Ian Rappaport:


https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/nfl/bengals/2025/05/08/bengals-trey-hendrickson-have-communicated-since-nfl-draft-ian-rapoport/83526324007/

Someone's lying.

Don't make me post it a 3rd time, people lol. This reeks of lies and fishiness.

[NUGDUKWE]

(Yesterday, 07:20 PM)Truck_1_0_1_ Wrote: Ian Rappaport:


https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/nfl/bengals/2025/05/08/bengals-trey-hendrickson-have-communicated-since-nfl-draft-ian-rapoport/83526324007/

Someone's lying.

Don't make me post it a 3rd time, people lol. This reeks of lies and fishiness.

Well the Bengals have a track record of poor communication with multiple players. So if I have to pick a liar it's got to be them unfortunately. Just going off of past history.

[THE PISTONS]

(Yesterday, 03:59 PM)phil413 Wrote: This is the issue. I get that Cincy has more leverage but if he sits 2 games and is eased into a 3rd that's a big deal for a team that has bad starts as something they're known for.  The DL is also green as well.  I like the contract example as I've been on board with something similar.  I can't expect him to have a hard stance on adding 3yrs, more likely though the hangup is a guaranteed 2nd year to an extension.  I'm guessing they want to be able to only guarantee 6-7 mil of a 3rd year and the tradeoff is a raise with all these small restructures and maybe a few cuts still. 

He might want more money than my example.

[THE PISTONS]

(Yesterday, 03:59 PM)BenZoo2 Wrote: Thanks for the update, I am aware of his age.  Do you think he’s worth the same contract Garrett got?

That's a complex comparison. The Browns dont have a Burrow, Chase, and Higgins paid at the top of their positions.

[BigRed75]

I’m all for keeping Trey at the right price but he seems to believe his value is greater than what the market is actually dictating. No team wanted to cough up the draft capital for him. Though they demanded a first, I’d be willing to bet they would have taken a higher round second in a heartbeat. Someone needs to share with his the Bengals can easily tag him next year for about $29MM so if that $30MM-$32MM per is true, he might want to reconsider. Age and leverage is not on his side.

[Essex Johnson]

(Yesterday, 03:26 PM)J24 Wrote: Garrett is 29 and You're not paying an edge rusher to defend the run.

actually they are paying him a combo.. he is a solid run defender also that increases his value... 

[SunsetBengal]

So, not any real "updates", just more bickering over weather he is deserving of a high payday or not. (spoiler, he is worth it)

[PDub80]

Based on the last reports on this, I'm siding with the Bengals....

- Bengals offered Trey $28Mill/per

- Trey countered by saying mid $30s/per

- Bengals added incentives to the $28 that would get him to mid 30s.

- Trey countered by saying that he shouldn't have to perform to get paid like that at this point in his career since he has already been performing.

- Trey also threatened to retire at one point. Meaning, the Bengals could extend him for 2 years and not get the time. Sorry, folks, but I don't side with the player here in this specific case. I think $28/per guaranteed + incentives to get into the mid $30s is a fair deal for Trey.

- I'm in sales and am a top 1% performer. So much so that I don't have a boss and report directly to the owner, where as the jr sales guys under me report to a GM and then me..... If I go to the owner and tell him that I want my salary next year doubled & then guaranteed based on my sales this year, he would tell me absolutely NOT.  Would he give me some extra points off of the guy's I mentor's sales? YES. Maybe a bump in my % or guaranteed pay? YES. Allow me to buy/earn ownership points in the business? YES....

But would he just look at last year and say, sure, I'll pay you double next year just for showing up, regardless of the results? HELL NO. I've transformed this guy's company by completely changing how they work with clients, introduced new products/services, DOUBLED their sales AND increased profitability on those sales by 20%.... And he would still pay me off of what I keep producing.

Sorry, Trey. Take the $28mill/per + incentives and keep going. That's how the real world/business works. It's all incentive pay in real time.

[*bfine32*]

They talked about this on Sirius earlier and PK said the thing fans forget is It's May

[Luvnit2]

(Yesterday, 05:58 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: Beware the mysterious injury..

I think Trey would be foolish to fake am injury at 31 years old and being a free agent possiby in 2026. He would kill his own market.

if no deal is reached, what would a 3 sack DE who missed 12 games bring in FA?

He needs to have a banner year for anyone to offer him close to 30 million guaranteed in 2026 in my opinion.

I want him signed, he is not Garrett or Watt. Garrett is also 2 years younger, same age Trey was when he signed the existing contract he is working off of now.

[SunsetBengal]

(Yesterday, 08:34 PM)Luvnit2 Wrote: I think Trey would be foolish to fake am injury at 31 years old and being a free agent possiby in 2026. He would kill his own market.

if no deal is reached, what would a 3 sack DE who missed 12 games bring in FA?

He needs to have a banner year for anyone to offer him close to 30 million guaranteed in 2026 in my opinion.

I want him signed, he is not Garrett or Watt. Garrett is also 2 years younger, same age Trey was when he signed the existing contract he is working off of now.

Why do so many of you want to write him off prematurely, due to "age"? He's 30, he won't turn 31 until December. He's playing his peak ball of his lifetime, and has shown no signs of slowing down. They should just pay the guy, let him have his banner season, and then trade him before he begins the decline.

[Goalpost]

Showing up at voluntaries, even if he didn't work out, would have been a way to have communication.

[*TheLeonardLeap*]

(Yesterday, 08:34 PM)Luvnit2 Wrote: I think Trey would be foolish to fake am injury at 31 years old and being a free agent possiby in 2026. He would kill his own market.

if no deal is reached, what would a 3 sack DE who missed 12 games bring in FA?

He needs to have a banner year for anyone to offer him close to 30 million guaranteed in 2026 in my opinion.

I want him signed, he is not Garrett or Watt. Garrett is also 2 years younger, same age Trey was when he signed the existing contract he is working off of now.

Nah, he had back-to-back 17.5 sack seasons and 70.5 sacks over the last 5 years. Other teams in the NFL would still pay him handsomely because they know what it's like to try to deal with the Bengals FO. Sacks are too valuable and there's not enough guys that can get them in quantity. He'd still get a big payday.

If he has a "banner" year the Bengals would just franchise tag him and he'd be stuck in the same situation.

[NUGDUKWE]

(Yesterday, 08:27 PM)PDub80 Wrote: Based on the last reports on this, I'm siding with the Bengals....

- Bengals offered Trey $28Mill/per

- Trey countered by saying mid $30s/per

- Bengals added incentives to the $28 that would get him to mid 30s.

- Trey countered by saying that he shouldn't have to perform to get paid like that at this point in his career since he has already been performing.

- Trey also threatened to retire at one point. Meaning, the Bengals could extend him for 2 years and not get the time. Sorry, folks, but I don't side with the player here in this specific case. I think $28/per guaranteed + incentives to get into the mid $30s is a fair deal for Trey.

- I'm in sales and am a top 1% performer. So much so that I don't have a boss and report directly to the owner, where as the jr sales guys under me report to a GM and then me..... If I go to the owner and tell him that I want my salary next year doubled & then guaranteed based on my sales this year, he would tell me absolutely NOT.  Would he give me some extra points off of the guy's I mentor's sales? YES. Maybe a bump in my % or guaranteed pay? YES. Allow me to buy/earn ownership points in the business? YES....

But would he just look at last year and say, sure, I'll pay you double next year just for showing up, regardless of the results? HELL NO. I've transformed this guy's company by completely changing how they work with clients, introduced new products/services, DOUBLED their sales AND increased profitability on those sales by 20%.... And he would still pay me off of what I keep producing.

Sorry, Trey. Take the $28mill/per + incentives and keep going. That's how the real world/business works. It's all incentive pay in real time.

Those numbers are rumors and speculation. You can't or shouldn't form an opinion off of that. How much was Tee turning down in rumors before he signed for under 30 per? Also can't really compare sports to other industries they just are not the same.