It sounds like the communication between the Cincinnati Bengals' front office and star defensive end Trey Hendrickson has been less than ideal.
Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin publicly addressed Hendrickson's future recently, and he did so before talking to Hendrickson himself. Understandably, this rubbed the 30-year four-time Pro Bowler the wrong way, which he acknowledged during an appearance on the Pat McAfee show.
Trey Hendrickson would like to have an open line of communication with the Bengals
"I would've preferred to have heard it differently than my dad texting me a Tweet," Hendrickson said. "That would have been great to figure it out that way. But, the table is being set in that way. I love to play football. I love to let me play do the talking, and at the end of the day I think the chips will fall where they're going to be."
Hendrickson has one year remaining on his current contract, and he's seeking some long-term security. In his public comments, Tobin basically acknowledged that Hendrickson deserved a raise as a result his extremely productive play, but stopped short of guaranteeing that the sides would agree on an extension.
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“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. ... 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."
Despite the communication issues, Hendrickson remains loyal to the Bengals, and wants what's best for the organization, even if that means trading him for an attractive return.
“The goal is to win a Super Bowl for Cincinnati. What that looks like this season, if it’s something we can agree on in terms, that would be great," Hendrickson said of the situation. "Ideally, my wife and I would love to stay in Cincinnati. If it’s something that helps the Bengals win a Super Bowl if they get picks or anything like that. I want to help win a Super Bowl for Cincinnati if I’m there or not.”
Considering he was far and away Cincinnati's best defensive player in 2024, it would be in the Bengals' best interest to sign Hendrickson to an attractive extension that he deserves. But, will they? We'll find out soon enough.