Trey Hendrickson went public on February 5 on the “Pat McAfee Show” and essentially issued the Cincinnati Bengals an ultimatum. As a result, months and months later, after plenty of back-and-forth, the team and its superstar defensive end have agreed to a one-year contract restructure, boosting his 2025 salary to $30 million, kicking the proverbial can down the road. The Bengals have needed to break their tendencies with aging players, and with Hendrickson, they did so, inking the 30-year-old to another extension.
Another hold-in ends: Bengals and Trey Hendrickson reached agreement today on a $14 million raise for this year, boosting his 2025 salary to $30 million dollars, per sources. Hendrickson still is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent after this season. pic.twitter.com/Yhc1iT6ca8
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 25, 2025
Hendrickson, Cincinnati Bengals Ink New Contract After Ultimatum, Lengthy Holdout
Hendrickson is coming off his best season as a pro, which netted him Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors. Last year, he led the NFL with 17.5 sacks and added 19 tackles for loss, 46 total tackles, and 36 quarterback hits. Hendrickson also managed six pass breakups and forced two fumbles. He finished the year with five games with multiple sacks, topped off with a four-sack effort in the win over the Las Vegas Raiders.
In 2023, Hendrickson was just as elite. He finished second in the NFL with 17.5 sacks and amassed a total of 43 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 25 quarterback hits, three pass breakups, and three forced fumbles.
His 2022 season was hampered by nagging injuries. Even then, he finished with eight sacks, six tackles for loss, 32 total tackles, three pass breakups, and three forced fumbles. In his first season with the Bengals, Hendrickson notched 14 sacks and 12 tackles for loss in just 14 starts (16 games overall). He was integral to the Bengals’ Super Bowl run as he notched 3.5 sacks in the four postseason games.
As a member of the New Orleans Saints, the franchise that drafted him in 2017, Hendrickson was a late bloomer. In his first three seasons, he totaled 6.5 sacks and six tackles for loss. In the 2020 season alone, Hendrickson amassed 13.5 sacks and 12 tackles for loss.
Since joining the Bengals in 2021, Hendrickson has been voted for four Pro Bowls and earned First-Team All-Pro honors in 2024.
Hendrickson is set to become a free agent after 2025, even with this new “deal.”
Main Image: Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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