It’s been month after month, and the front office said they were having a conversation with Trey Hendrickson, but nothing was taking shape in the real world. The NFL sack-leader of 2024, Hendrickson, was still waiting until training camp, hoping the extension issue would get resolved. “THEY are no longer communicating,” Hendrickson said in May 2025.
But things are going down south in a frustrating way for the Bengals’ star defender. The 30-year-old defensive end, who is under a one-year, $21,000,000 contract, has now made a decision. Somebody could have taken Hendrickson lightly when the DE said that he would not report to training camp if the contract issue was not settled.
Trey Hendrickson Has Left the State, per Ian Rapoport
On July 22, when the Cincinnati Bengals were suiting up for the first day of training camp, Hendrickson dropped a shocking update on Instagram. He posted a picture of the road, probably taken from his mobile phone, where the sun was just rising. The overlay text of the story was just “Florida.” Through IG story, he was indicating something that renowned NFL reporter Ian Rapoport thought he was leaving the city.
The NFL Network reporter, Ian Rapoport, hit the NHL world, reporting the latest decision taken by Trey Hendrickson. The NFL insider said, “Long-term extension talks between the #Bengals and star Trey Hendrickson broke down over guaranteed money before camp… and Hendrickson has now indicated he left the state.” And added, “He just posted this on Instagram.”
Long-term extension talks between the #Bengals and star Trey Hendrickson broke down over guaranteed money before camp… and Hendrickson has now indicated he left the state.
He just posted this on Instagram. pic.twitter.com/Le2aKris0t
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 22, 2025
Along with him, another renowned reporter, Jordan Schultz, said that the deal broke down. Jordan Schultz wrote on Twitter, “The Bengals and All-Pro DE Trey Hendrickson made attempts over the past few days to re-engage on a new deal, but talks failed to gain serious momentum. Both sides are dug in and frustrated. I’m told there are key differences between the two sides, and there’s currently no clear path to a resolution.”
What Did the Bengals’ Owner Say About Hendrickson’s Contract Issue?
With the current contract, he will get a $15.8 million base salary in 2025. But that’s not what the Bengals star defender wants. That’s why the Bengals owner was asked by NFL reporters about the ongoing extension issue, and what he replied was just full of frustration for the DE.
The Bengals owner, Mike Brown, said, “It has been a long negotiation. Trey Hendrickson is a fine player; he’s a good guy, and we want him here. Dealing with him is sometimes not so easy, and that’s alright, he’s got the right to argue his case.” Brown also added, “We’ll try to make sense of it from our perspective, and we’ll see. I’m not persuaded that it isn’t going to get done, as far as I’m concerned, the sooner the better.”
First of all, saying “Hendrickson is a fine player” is a pretty shallow statement that players of his caliber don’t deserve. In the 2024 season only, he has made 17.5 sacks. Four of which came in the win against the Las Vegas Raiders on November 3, 2024. In the last game of the season, he also sacked Russell Wilson 3.5 times. In his three years with the Bengals, Hendrickson has racked up 57 sacks with 35 over the last two seasons. And now, it looks like the defensive star has lost hope.
The post Bengals News: Trey Hendrickson Exits Cincinnati Amid Training Camp Absence, per NFL Insider appeared first on Last Word on Pro Football.