It took just two weeks for Trey Hendrickson to prove he's worth every penny

The Cincinnati Bengals played hardball all offseason with Trey Hendrickson before reluctantly agreeing to give him a raise for the 2025 campaign only.

Whatever the relationship is between Hendrickson and the front office going forward, at least we can all agree that the bump in compensation was money well-spent. Despite holding in for all of training camp, Hendrickson is fully fresh and ready to roll for this season.

Hendrickson logged eight QB pressures in Week 1's win over the Browns. Even though the Jacksonville Jaguars moved the ball too easily on the Bengals at times this Sunday, Hendrickson's impact was huge in the team's 31-27 Week 2 victory.

Trey Hendrickson hits close-out sack to validate offseason drama

In my winners-losers piece that's fresh off the digital presses, I had to pick out some losers on the Bengals side despite their 2-0 start. I went with pass-rushers not named Trey Hendrickson as one of the big losers of the day.

That's because Hendrickson was, once again, tasked with almost single-handedly generating any respectable pressure on Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Against those stacked odds and with a subpar supporting cast, the reigning first-team All-Pro came through in the clutch.

Exhibit A: This sack of Lawrence to all but end the game, preceding a frenzied, multiple-lateral final play that would've gotten called back by penalty in the event of a miracle.

We also can't overlook how Hendrickson swung the outcome in the early going. The Jags were on the brink of taking a 14-0 first-quarter lead until Who Dey Trey got up in Lawrence's grill, forcing an underthrow that Dax Hill capitalized on for an interception.

On an ominous afternoon where Joe Burrow's injury overshadowed a lot of the positives from the home team, Hendrickson's relentless motor and bottom-line production were pivotal in securing the win.

It was recently revealed that Cincinnati toyed with Hendrickson's reworked deal, adding a void year to his contract after the pay raise. That puts the franchise tag at a discount going forward, laying the groundwork for another negotiating gridlock next offseason.

I admire Hendrickson's professionalism and commitment to the Bengals. They haven't really done right by him any step of the way, and he remains criminally underpaid, with an effective cap hit of just over $25 million this year.

Whatever. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it as a united Who Dey Nation. For now, let's bask in the glory of Hendrickson's greatness and count our lucky stars he's on our side for the rest of 2025 at least.

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