Bengals' Updated Salary Cap After Trey Hendrickson, Ja'Marr Chase, Higgins Contracts

The contract impasse between the Cincinnati Bengals and star defensive end Trey Hendrickson is finally over.

Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Bengals gave Hendrickson a $14 million raise for the 2025 season to push his salary to $30 million.

Hendrickson's new deal comes after Cincinnati shelled out major money for star wide receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. According to Spotrac, the team's salary cap now stands at $308.8 million, putting them more than $21 million over the cap.

In March, the Bengals signed Chase to a four-year, $161 million contract extension that made him the highest paid non-quarterback in NFL history at the time. His new deal doesn't kick in until next year. Higgins was signed to a a four-year, $115 million contract extension after receiving the franchise tag for the second year in a row.

Hendrickson's deal took much longer to hammer out, as he didn't participate in practice during training camp or play in the preseason while awaiting his payday. He made it clear that he exceeded his original $16 million salary after leading the NFL with 17.5 sacks last season, but the team remained hesitant to reward him with an extension. While his raise puts him in the upper echelon of defensive end salaries, he's still set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2025 campaign.

The Bengals are facing the financial constraints that come from building a strong core. In addition to this year's deals for Hendrickson, Chase and Higgins, Cincinnati star quarterback Joe Burrow is the second-highest-paid player in the league with an average annual salary of $55 million.

Still, retaining Hendrickson was a necessary move for the Bengals to keep their championship window open for at least another year. Cincinnati needs to avoid wasting Burrow's prime by maintaining its status as a title contender, and surrounding him with elite players is the only way to achieve that goal.