“You Don’t See Him as a Myles Garrett Type”: Chad Johnson Dares Bengals Owner on Trey Hendrickson Contract

After a year’s worth of false promises, dodged phone calls, and stagnant negotiations, Trey Hendrickson is finally putting the Cincinnati Bengals’ feet to the fire. The current holder of the NFL sack crown is officially bailing out on the team’s mandatory minicamp, a move that will cost him more than $100,000 in fines.

Then again, should Hendrickson get the bank-breaking deal that he’s been searching for, $100,000 will be a mere drop in the pocket. Given the amount of production that he’s provided for an otherwise third-rate defense, fans are beginning to see former and current members of the Bengals’ roster voice their support for Hendrickson amidst the ongoing holdout.

Considering that the team’s other premiere pass rusher, Shemar Stewart, is now currently withholding his services for a similar reason, it appears as if a pattern is beginning to emerge in Cincinnati.

In light of the growing frustrations, the team’s former star receiver, Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson, is calling for the owners to show a bit of transparency. During the most recent installment of his Nightcap podcast, Bengals’ all-time leader in receiving yards challenged the team’s upper brass to be honest about the assessment of Hendrickson.

“Tell us why you don’t really want to play them. It would really be a breath of fresh air if we could get the owner to speak out on why they don’t really want to do things… Just come out and say it. You don’t see him as a Micah Parsons or as a Myles Garrett type. He’s a tier-two defensive end, come out and say it.”

Hendrickson has outproduced every top earner at his position throughout the past two seasons. From Maxx Crosby and Nick Bosa to Danielle Hunter and Myles Garrett, no one has recorded more sacks than him since 2023.

Yet Hendrickson is being paid more than $13 million less than each of those players. With a current salary of $21 million, he’s not even a top ten earner at the position.

The Bengals have managed to squeeze elite production out of Hendrickson while paying him at the same rate as Gregory Rousseau. To some, that’s criminal. To others, like NFL owners, that’s just good business.

Unfortunately, sitting out for an entire season has historically proven to be a poor choice for NFL athletes, with some of the most recent examples being made out of Earl Thomas and Le’Veon Bell. Simply put, the NFL doesn’t like it when you are unwilling to playball.

Thankfully, Hendrickson’s deal expires after this season. From there, he’ll likely find a healthy amount of demand on the open market.

At this point, it appears as if, for the first time in a long time, a player may finally have the leverage in contract negotiations. Hendrickson can simply receive a deal to his liking, or he can stay at home for a year before signing a lucrative deal with a potential rival.

While he would surely much rather play than not, the mere thought of the 32nd overall defense in the league somehow getting worse may just be enough to scare the Bengals into action in the end.