The Bengals satisfied Joe Burrow‘s request at wide receiver, extending Tee Higgins after a slew of departure rumors followed the veteran No. 2 wide receiver leading into this offseason. Burrow also expressed hope the Bengals would pay Trey Hendrickson, the NFL’s reigning sack leader. The team had made Hendrickson available in trades, but not much has come out here since free agency started.
Suitors had viewed the Bengals’ ask as exorbitant, and a future in which the team moves forward with Hendrickson now appears in play again. Even though the Bengals’ extension structures for Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase did not produce much in the way of 2025 cap savings, they are ready to work with Hendrickson on a new deal, Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz notes (video link).
This has reached the point where a trade is “off the table,” Schultz adds. This would be a significant development for the Bengals and teams eyeing Hendrickson in trades. Although a new contract is paramount to the sides extending this partnership to five seasons, a future in which the Bengals employ Chase, Higgins and Hendrickson in 2025 looks far more realistic than it did earlier this month.
Cincinnati is believed to have asked for more than a first-round pick for Hendrickson, who will turn 31 later this year. The team allowed Hendrickson to seek a trade March 6, doing so after negotiations broke down. But the sides have ramped up talks, resuming them even before the Chase and Higgins extensions. Coming off back-to-back 17.5-sack seasons, Hendrickson obviously wants to cash in while his value remains high. The Bengals have him under contract for one more season.
Hendrickson has seen the EDGE market move considerably already this offseason, and more dominoes are set to fall outside of Cincinnati. The Raiders, Browns and Texans respectively paid Maxx Crosby, Myles Garrett and Danielle Hunter. Although Hendrickson would not have a good chance to eclipse Garrett’s $40MM-per-year payday, Hunter securing a one-year Houston add-on worth $35.6MM may certainly be within reach. Hunter is also 30, despite coming into the NFL two years before Hendrickson, and has a comparable resume.
Then again, Hendrickson may be looking for more than a one-year add-on; he already signed a one-year extension in 2023. He has not explored free agency since becoming a steady pass rusher, having built on a Saints contract-year breakout with four strong Bengals seasons. The market has since shifted. Hendrickson is also running short on time to be viewed as a prime-years asset, due to his age. If the Bengals are unable to strike a deal soon, this situation could become messy once again. Hendrickson is tied to a $15.8MM base salary and $18.67MM cap number this year.
The market should be expected to include monster extensions for T.J. Watt and Micah Parsons by the offseason’s end. Aidan Hutchinson also being extension-eligible could provide another shakeup. The Bengals already found themselves on the back end of the receiver market, waiting until Chase’s contract year to give him a $40.25MM-per-year deal. Acting earlier on Hendrickson would make sense, especially now that a franchise often labeled frugal created some distance from that reputation by paying Chase and Higgins. While negotiations could break down again and reignite a trade market, Hendrickson may soon see his desired extension come from the Bengals.