The contract dispute between Cincinnati Bengals has gotten worse. See what the star defensive player said about his ongoing discussions with the organization.
Trey Hendrickson Releases Statement About Contract Dispute
Trey Hendrickson statement today to ESPN: “No communication has taken place between my camp and the organization post draft. The offers prior to the draft did not reflect the vision we shared and were promised last offseason if I continued to play at a high level. Coaches are… pic.twitter.com/2MKBL60ATg
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 12, 2025
Hendrickson is unhappy with how the Bengals are handling his contract situation.
Hendrickson, 30, is entering the final year of his contract and will earn a base salary of $15.8 million. The first-team All-Pro led the league with 17.5 sacks. His salary is outside of the top 10 highest-paid edge rushers and does not reflect someone of his caliber.
In a statement released to ESPN, Hendrick claims that the team is “no longer communicating” with him and is disinterested in “reaching mutual goals.”
“No communication has taken place between my camp and the organization post draft. The offers prior to the draft did not reflect the vision we shared and were promised last offseason if I continued to play at a high level. Coaches are aware of these past conversations. Rather than using collaboration to get us to a point to bring me home to the team, THEY are no longer communicating,” Hendrickson said in his statement. “I have been eagerly awaiting a resolution of this situation, but that’s hard to do when there is no discussion and an evident lack of interest in reaching mutual goals.”
Hendrick has been very straightforward in his demands.
In February, Hendrickson told The Pat McAfee Show that he wants a new contract with the Bengals. However, he’s willing to work with the team to execute a trade to a new team.
Last month, Bengals executive Katie Blackburn said the team offered Hendrickson a deal and that he should “be happy at certain rates that maybe he doesn’t think he’d be happy at.”
Those “disappointing” comments did not sit well with Hendrickson.
“That’s where to read what I read yesterday was confusing, like it’s my decision. I would have been willing to sign three years ago, two years ago and this year,” Hendrickson explained to Pat McAfee in April. “It was communicated to me we would get something done this year and reiterated with comments at the combine. I treat it like a house now; house value has gone up, it’s the cost of living.
"Those comments from Katie Blackburn were definitely disappointing & communication has been poor over the last couple of months..
It's been a little bit frustrating & if they have anything they'd like to discuss we're definitely willing to listen" ~ Trey Hendrickson #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/C9PUdfKewj
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) April 2, 2025
Bengals Opted To Sign Ja’Marr Chase And Tee Higgins
NFL history: The Bengals have agreed to record deals making Ja’Marr Chase the highest-paid non-QB and Tee Higgins the highest-paid WR2 in the league, per sources. The deals were in place all weekend and Higgins announced the agreement.
🏈Ja’Marr Chase agreed to a 4-year, $161… pic.twitter.com/97wXgMFOHp
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 17, 2025
The Bengals organization elected to pay two wide receivers instead of Hendrickson.
Ja’Marr Chase became the highest-paid non-QB in the NFL after g a four-year, $161 million contract.
Chase’s running mate, Tee Higgins, became the highest-paid No. 2 receiver with a four-year, $115 million contract.
