T(rey)rade Talks

By: Josh Frey-Sam

The Trey Hendrickson saga has reached a boiling point.

And if we’re being honest, he could’ve turned up the heat a long time ago.

The Bengals’ star pass-rusher isn’t participating in the team’s offseason program, but he showed up to the facility yesterday with a clear agenda: to air out his contract talks (or lack thereof) with the front office.

Ahead of the draft, Hendrickson appeared on The Pat McAfee Show and continued to express his desire to finish his career in Cincinnati.

He also said that communication between him and the organization’s front office had been poor, and it doesn’t appear it’s gotten any better.

Here’s what he told McAfee last month, after being asked about Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins receiving contract extensions before him:

“Communication, when I say it's been poor, it's been like here and there. And respect to Ja’Marr and Tee, I don't want to take anything away from all the great things they've accomplished in their careers.. but when it comes to my situation, it would have been nice to know in some ways, ‘Hey, we're going to put you in the queue,’” he said

“No problem with me. My wife and I try to be as humble as possible, as Christ-loving people. We don't have any desires of being the highest paid, or first in line. We try to be as patient as possible…”

Now here’s the message he sent to national reporters on Tuesday:

“No communication has taken place between my camp and the organization post-draft. The offers prior to the draft did not reflect the vision we shared and were promised last off-season if I continued to play at a high level. Coaches are aware of these past conversations. Rather than using collaboration to get us to a point to bring me home to the team, they are no longer communicating.

“I have been eagerly awaiting a resolution of this situation, but it's hard to do when there was no discussion and an evident lack of interest in reaching mutual goals.”

Hendrickson also told reporters that it’s become “personal” between him and Zac Taylor after the Bengals head coach reminded him that he would be fined if he didn’t show up for mandatory minicamp next month.

Here’s where I stand on this: I think Hendrickson is a phenomenal player. His back-to-back 17.5-sack seasons don’t happen on accident.

Now, if I were a GM, would I trade draft capital for him, knowing I would likely have to sign him to a long-term deal? It would depend on where we’re at as a franchise, but probably not.

Having said that, I absolutely think he deserves the money he wants, and I believe this has been a complete blunder by the Bengals’ front office. One that was entirely avoidable.

The funny thing is these contract talks date back to 2023 when Hendrickson first expressed that he wanted a new deal with more guaranteed money.

Hendrickson revealed he was told that if he played well in 2024, he’d be rewarded with another contract. This probably seemed like a good compromise for the Bengals’ brass at the time, considering he was in his age-30 season.

Joke was on them, though, as he went on to match his sack production from 2023 and finished as the league’s sack leader.

Now they aren’t living up to their words. Duke Tobin, the team’s director of player personnel, has reiterated throughout the offseason that the Bengals want to get a trade done. It appears it has to be on their terms, though.

Consider what Katie Blackburn, the Bengals’ executive vice president, said before the draft:

“I think he should be happy at certain rates that maybe he doesn’t think he’d be happy at,” Blackburn said. “I think some of it is on him to be happy at some point, and if he’s not, that’s what holds it up sometimes. It takes him to say yes to something, and also, we have all the respect in the world for him. He’s been a great player. We’re happy to have him. And so maybe we’ll find a way to get something to work. We’re just gonna see where it goes.”

Hendrickson responded to those comments by revealing that the Bengals’ previous offers to him had been very team-friendly— short-term and incentive-laden.

Cincy’s front office is now at a crossroads of obviously not believing Hendrickson will be a high-level player for much longer, but not wanting to let him go for nothing.

They want their cake and to eat it too. The problem is that this is now so public that they’ve lost all leverage in any trade talks. So either they pay up or they take their medicine and trade him for much less than they would’ve gotten had they done this earlier.

The most likely outcome? I think this has reached a point of no return. The only thing saving this is an absolute top-dollar offer by the Bengals (see Maxx Crosby or Myles Garrett’s contracts for a guide), which they don’t seem keen on doing.

I’d be shocked if the Bengals got more than a 3rd round pick for him at this point.

I’d also expect a lot of teams to be in the mix for him, but many will drop off when his agent reveals they’re looking for top dollar with around four years of term.

Here are some teams who could still make that happen, and who I view as the most likely landing spots for Hendrickson.

Indianapolis Colts - Hendrickson’s former defensive coordinator, Lou Anarumo, is there. The Colts have Kwity Paye, drafted JT Tuimoloau and are banking on a second-year breakout from Laiatu Latu, but Hendrickson would be a great add for a team trying to win now.

Carolina Panthers - This is a young defence that desperately needs some more talent. Hendrickson would become the unquestioned leader and culture builder on that unit. This is the type of move that young teams make all the time.

Philadelphia Eagles - It seems crazy, and yet it feels all too possible. Would Howie Roseman swing big again?

Washington Commanders - This might be the most probable destination purely based on need. The hole is glaring. If the Commanders want to take the next step this season, this is the type of move they need to make.

Thanks for reading and, as always, have a great day.

Josh