Cincinnati Bengals All-Pro pass rusher Trey Hendrickson plans to report to the team’s training camp on Wednesday, ending his holdout over a contract dispute despite not being any closer to a new deal with the team, according to multiple reports. Hendrickson reporting to camp will serve as a good faith gesture toward getting a deal done, per ESPN, while also avoiding any additional daily $50,000 fines he had been incurring.
A four-time Pro Bowler and the NFL’s reigning sack king, Hendrickson and the Bengals have been mired in lengthy and tumultuous contract negotiations that included Hendrickson not participating in the team’s spring practices and the start of training camp. While the two sides have not reached an extension, Hendrickson has now decided to report to camp — after initially spending the start of camp away from the team in Jacksonville, Fla. — while the franchise and his representatives attempt to land on a deal before the start of the season.
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John Breech
Hendrickson, who is set to earn $15.8 million in base salary in 2025, wants to be paid closer to the top of the market at his position. That market was reset yet again this offseason, with others such as Maxx Crosby ($35.5 million), Danielle Hunter ($35.6 million), Myles Garrett ($40 million) and T.J. Watt ($41 million) all receiving new deals worth more than double Hendrickson’s current salary over the past six months.
Guaranteed money has been a major sticking point in negotiations, as the Bengals have reportedly only offered Hendrickson one year of fully guaranteed money while Garrett and Watt both received three years fully guaranteed. The Bengals’ standard practice has been to only offer one year of guarantees, but they have recently offered multiple-year guarantees to other star players.
Hendrickson, 30, has tallied 57 sacks, 53 tackles for loss and 11 forced fumbles since joining the Bengals as a free agent in 2021. His 35 sacks over the last two years — 17.5 in both 2023 and 2024 — is tops in the NFL.
Prior to signing with the Bengals, Hendrickson spent his first four years with the Saints. He made just three starts during his first three seasons before becoming a full-time starter in 2020, his final season in New Orleans. He parlayed his 13.5 sacks that season into a four-year, $60 million deal with the Bengals during the ensuing offseason.
The Bengals are coming off a disappointing 9-8 season and have missed the postseason in back-to-back years. Despite Hendrickson’s brilliance last year, the Cincinnati’s defense struggled mightily during the first 12 games of the season. The Bengals went 4-8 over that span before winning their last five games and just missing the postseason.
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