Trey Hendrickson deserves credit. He didn't get the long-term extension he was seeking last offseason, which led to him requesting a trade away from the Cincinnati Bengals. But, when that request wasn't granted, he didn't sulk or hold out. Instead, he put his head down and went to work.
Hendrickson led the league in sacks in 2024 with 17.5 -- the second straight season he reached that exact total. Now, he'll again be seeking an extension with Cincinnati, and the organization seems inclined to give it to him.
Duke Tobin says Trey Hendrickson has 'earned' a raise, but what will that look like?
While speaking with Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer at the Senior Bowl, Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin discussed Hendrickson's future and acknowledged that the star defensive end has earned a raise.
“Has he earned a pay raise and a bump in an extension … he has,” Tobin said. “We’re cognizant of that, and we will give that to him. But whether we agree on what that looks like is, is what is to be determined.”
The "to be determined" at the end of the quote clearly leaves some room for intrepreation, and could make Bengals fans a little nervous. The team has been notoriously unwilling to extend players once they hit 30 years old, but Hendrickson could -- and should -- be an exception. He's recorded 35 sacks over the past two seasons and has shown no signs of slowing down. He still looks like he could be an extremely productive edge rusher for the next few seasons.
More Cincinnati Bengals news: NFL insider pours cold water on Bengals' dream offseason scenario
But, the Bengals only have so much money to go around. They already have an enormous amount of capital committed to star quarterback Joe Burrow and they're expected to lock up star wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase on a monster extension. Plus, Tee Higgins is also seeking a long-term extension.
So, the Bengals will have some difficult decisions to make knowing that they probably can't pay everyone top dollar.
“We can't have guys at the top of the payroll in every position, right?” Tobin said. "We'll do what we can. We'll do what we feel is right, and we will try to get Trey re-signed. It's not giving anybody an extension. It's agreeing with somebody on an extension.”
Basically, it sounds like the Bengals want to reward Hendrickson with an extension, but the numbers will have to make sense for both sides. Technically, Hendrickson still has one year remaining on his current contract, but a player of his caliber shouldn't have to play on an expiring deal. In addition to getting a deal done with Chase, making sure Hendrickson is taken care of should be a priority for Cincinnati over the offseason.