Trey Hendrickson standing firm in Bengals contract dispute

Ben BabyAug 18, 2025, 08:56 PM ET

CloseBen Baby covers the Cincinnati Bengals for ESPN. He joined the company in July 2019. Prior to ESPN, he worked for various newspapers in Texas, most recently at The Dallas Morning News where he covered college sports. He provides daily coverage of the Bengals for ESPN.com, while making appearances on SportsCenter, ESPN’s NFL shows and ESPN Radio programs. A native of Grapevine, Texas, he graduated from the University of North Texas with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. He is an adjunct journalism professor at Southern Methodist University and a member of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA).

Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson remains entrenched in his position on not playing in the upcoming season.

Hendrickson spoke to ESPN’s Laura Rutledge in Landover, Maryland, ahead of Cincinnati’s 31-17 preseason win against the Washington Commanders on Monday night, and the core tenets of his stance in his contract negotiations are still intact.

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Rutledge reported that Hendrickson told her that he and the team are in close agreement on the total average annual salary and the length of the deal.

The sticking point remains the guaranteed money in a potential extension, with Cincinnati’s stance on not providing secured salary after the first season leaving progress at a standstill.

At the beginning of the offseason, the Bengals granted Hendrickson the ability to seek a club that was willing to acquire the All-Pro edge rusher, but, so far, nothing has materialized.

The four-time Pro Bowl player, who will turn 31 this fall, is set to make $16 million this season. He ended his holdout July 30 and has been with the team since then but not practicing.

He is coming off his best season after he led the NFL with 17.5 total sacks in 2024. Hendrickson’s comments to Rutledge on Monday are among the few he has made since reporting to training camp.

“Recognition’s not something I’m chasing,” Hendrickson said July 30. “It’s not. I think I’ve made my statements clear. Security is something that I value and [telling] my wife where we’re going to play. Those are the things that matter to me.”

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