Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reported Monday that he gets the sense that the Bengals and DE Trey Hendrickson have closed the gap on average annual salary in contract negotiations, with Breer saying the team is well above $30 million per year and closer to the top of the market than people think.
That said, Breer says guaranteed money remains a major stumbling block. Top pass rushers have been getting two and sometimes three years of guarantees, while the Bengals have an organizational policy of not guaranteeing any money past the first year, outside of rare exceptions.
Hendrickson returned to training camp and ended his holdout to avoid accruing any more fines. However, contract talks remain stalled and he’s still not practicing.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter appeared on the Pat McAfee Show last week and laid out a thorough explanation of the negotiations, saying the two sides have a “big disagreement” over guaranteed money. He said they are anywhere from $6 to $10 million apart in guarantees.
All in all, Schefter thinks the deal will be for three years if and/or when it’s done.
Hendrickson, 30, was selected with the No. 103 overall pick by the Saints out of Florida Atlantic in 2017. He finished his four-year rookie contract worth $3,106,288, which included a signing bonus of $706,284.
Hendrickson then signed a four-year, $60 million contract with the Bengals back in 2021 and went on to appear in the Super Bowl for the team. Cincinnati signed him to a one-year extension through 2025 in 2023.
He’s due a base salary of $15.8 million in the final year of his contract in 2025.
In 2024, Hendrickson appeared in all 17 games for the Bengals and recorded 46 total tackles, 19 tackles for loss, 17.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, and six pass defenses.
We’ll have more on Hendrickson as the news becomes available.
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