For months, Trey Hendrickson sought a true extension that would provide guarantees beyond Year 1. Excluding Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase, such contracts are not part of the Bengals’ blueprint. The team ended up not budging on that stance, but a compromise emerged late to bring its top defender back into the fold.
Cincinnati agreed to a one-year bump with Hendrickson, who secured a $14MM raise for 2025. The deal also includes a $1MM incentive that could bump the standout defensive end’s earnings to $30MM this year. If Hendrickson plays 60% of the Bengals’ defensive snaps and the team books a playoff berth, that $1MM bump would trigger, per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.
Hendrickson, 30, logged 73% defensive snap share in 2024 and 68% of the team’s plays in 2023. The contract also includes a void year, according to ESPN.com’s Field Yates, who adds Hendrickson’s cap number increased by $3MM. The ninth-year veteran now counts $21.67MM on the Bengals’ cap sheet. Not known for much void year-related cap manipulation, the Bengals would be tagged with a $10MM dead money hit if they do not re-sign Hendrickson before the 2026 league year.
The Bengals held firm on not offering a post-Year 1 guarantee to Hendrickson. Cincy is one of the few teams that as a rule avoids this contract structure; its pricey Tee Higgins extension did not stray from it, even while the Chase deal did. Hendrickson is believed to have turned down a three-year, $95MM extension that did not include guarantees beyond Year 1. This proposal was backloaded, with The Athletic’s Paul Dehner Jr. indicating Hendrickson was due $23MM in 2026 and $39MM in 2027
As for Hendrickson’s current deal, the NFL’s reigning sack leader said (via ESPN.com’s Ben Baby) the team did not communicate an aim at a 2025 raise until the eve of training camp. Hendrickson added he did not receive the offer he eventually agreed to was not previously offered during the lengthy negotiation. Although Hendrickson said he was “incredibly humbled” by the team’s raise, turning down the above-referenced extension offer sets up an interesting next chapter in this long-running saga.
While the Bengals have some younger defensive ends they will hope can show long-term potential (in Shemar Stewart and Myles Murphy, the latter not justifying his first-round slot yet), they could circle back to Hendrickson via a 2026 franchise tag. It would be a costly tag, at approximately $34.8MM, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. No team has ever tagged a non-quarterback at that rate, but if Hendrickson delivers another big year, it would certainly be a conversation — even in a potential tag-and-trade scenario. Dehner points to this relationship ending with a 2026 free agency departure, which could lead to a third-round 2027 compensatory pick.
The Bengals certainly made a good bet on Hendrickson back in 2021, when the late-blooming Saints draftee agreed to a four-year, $60MM deal. Far outplaying that contract, Hendrickson — after a one-year, $21MM extension in 2023 — failed in convincing the Bengals to break their non-superstar precedent for future guarantees. The All-Pro pass rusher will attempt to remain in top form ahead of his 31st birthday en route to a high-end deal in 2026.