Trey Hendrickson, Bengals Agree to New Contract With Reported $30M Salary in 2025

Having reaffirmed his status as an elite pass-rusher in 2024, Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson is now being paid like one.

The two sides reached an agreement on Monday, with ESPN's Adam Schefter reporting Hendrickson will get a $14 million raise, bumping his salary up to $30 million 2025:

Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported the Bengals had previously offered a three-year, $95 million contract:

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network and NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported on Monday that the two sides were nearing a deal.

This comes after a campaign in which Hendrickson led the NFL in sacks (17.5) and set personal bests in tackles for loss (19) and hits on the quarterback (36).

Beyond rewarding the 30-year-old for his performance, this ends a prolonged standoff and resolves an issue that has lingered for more than a year.

Harold Lewis, Hendrickson's agent, confirmed to Ben Baby of ESPN in April 2024 his client had requested a trade in the absence of a long-term deal. He did make it clear his client was amenable to sticking around in Cincinnati.

"Our No. 1 goal is to get a long-term commitment from them," Lewis said to Baby. "If we can't, then we're asking for a trade. And hopefully if he gets traded, that's what we do—get a long-term commitment with somewhere else."

The Cincinnati Enquirer's Kelsey Conway painted a slightly different picture when she reported Hendrickson was "mulling all options moving forward," which included retiring from the NFL altogether in the absence of a new contract.

That particular detail called to mind to a past stalemate between the team and a notable veteran.

This March, the Bengals allowed Hendrickson and his representatives to examine their trade options with his contractual situation unchanged. By May, he publicly expressed his frustration with the lack of movement:

Hendrickson's position was understandable. His original four-year, $60 million deal proved to be a bargain for the team, and the one-year pact that added $21 million in new money in 2023 was below his market value as well.

Hendrickson is a game-wrecker off the edge, and the going rate for the top pass-rushers is basically $30 million or more. The Pittsburgh Steelers' T.J. Watt and Cleveland Browns' Myles Garrett are both getting $40 million-plus thanks to contracts they received this offseason.

In addition, there was no guarantee the long-term financial security Hendrickson got now would've been waiting for him when he hit the open market in 2026.

Based on past precedent, the Bengals were nonetheless going to dig in their heels when it first came to his trade request and then the possibility for an extension.

Safety Jessie Bates III played out the 2022 season on the franchise tag despite initially not being thrilled to only get the one-year tender. Offensive lineman Jonah Williams had to back off from his trade request in 2023 when it became clear Cincy wasn't moving him. History repeated itself with wide receiver Tee Higgins in 2024 as he got the franchise tag.

But Hendrickson's extension points to what may be a new era for the Bengals, one in which they're shedding their penchant for being tight with the payroll.

Quarterback Joe Burrow got a five-year, $275 million extension that was record-setting at the time. Wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase is the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL thanks to his four-year, $161 million contract. Higgins also got a new deal that averages $28.8 million annually.

Now, Hendrickson gets a bump for 2025.

Of course, it's fair to wonder whether the Bengals have so much money tied up in four players that they've left themselves unable to adequately fill out the supporting cast.

But the front office has shown an ability to build through the draft and identify surplus value in free agency. Higgins, a second-round pick in 2020, is an example of the former and Hendrickson qualifies for the latter.

Now more than ever, it's on de facto general manager Duke Tobin to have an eye for cost-effective talent.