The Cincinnati Bengals were let down by their defense last year. Despite having one of the best, most premier offenses in the league, the poor secondary played a major role in their 9-8 record. They missed the playoffs too, while the Denver Broncos snuck in with a 10-7 record (just one more win). To make matters worse, going into the 2025 season, one of the few defensive studs for the Bengals, Trey Hendrickson, is now in a contract dispute with the team.
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That’s right, recent updates reveal that Cincinnati has so far failed to extend their star pass rusher. “The Bengals and All-Pro DE Trey Hendrickson made attempts over the past few days to reengage on a new deal, but talks failed to gain serious momentum,” insider Jordan Schultz reports. “Both sides are dug in and frustrated.”
Hendrickson led the league with 17.5 sacks last year, which is a mark he’s hit in back-to-back seasons. He’s also been a Pro Bowler for 4 straight years, and made his first All-Pro first team this past year. He’s by far the Bengals’ best defender and deserves to be paid like it.
On top of this, the Bengals’ first-round draft selection, edge rusher Shemar Stewart, remains unsigned. He’s the last unsigned first-round rookie, as he’s taken issue with language in his rookie contract that could potentially void his guaranteed money. Ideally, he was supposed to be a stellar pillar in the Cincinnati defense, and potentially, a replacement option for Hendrickson.
As you can probably tell, this is all a complete mess. Hendrickson has a market value close to $40 million, yet the Bengals are getting away with paying him $21 million this upcoming season. He understandably wants a new extension, but the team has already shelled out a huge chunk of cap space for Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Joe Burrow.
Amid the messy situation, Bengals fans on Reddit couldn’t help but chime in, while others took the opportunity to fire off some sarcastic jabs.
“It’s a good thing they used their first-round pick to shore up that position,” one joked.
“I bet Shemar Stewart and Trey Hendrickson are somewhere on a beach together, sharing and laughing about each new message the Bengals send them,” someone responded.
Other Bengals fans wallowed in pain as they braced for the impact of potentially losing Hendrickson.
“Has there ever been an NFL team to finish with zero sacks for an entire season? We could be the first,” one wrote.
“Pissing off your only good defensive player is surely a sign of a well-run organization, right??” another asked sarcastically.
We should also talk about how the Bengals and Hendrickson are both “dug in” on their positions in the discussions. Meaning, it seems like there’s no clear path to a resolution as of now. The news must suck to digest if you’re a fan of the pass rusher and his team.
In the end, though, the Bengals did this to themselves. They operated cheaply for years under rookie contracts without giving any forethought to how much everyone would cost down the line. Now that everyone is asking for their deserved money, it’s been a pain for every star player to get the team to agree to an extension.
First, it was Higgins. Then it was Chase. The team already had to move on from Joe Mixon to save some money. Hendrickson could be the next domino to fall. And if they can’t secure Stewart to replace him, oh boy, do they have problems in Cincinnati.
