Trey Hendrickson, the Cincinnati Bengals’ pass rusher, is still waiting for a contract extension. Despite setting the NFL record with 17.5 sacks last season, Hendrickson requested a trade due to a contract impasse and didn’t receive one. Director of Player Personnel, Duke Tobin, believes Hendrickson has earned another contract, but the terms of the extension are still undetermined.
Tobin stated, “Has he earned a pay raise and a bump in an extension… he has. We’re cognizant of that, and we will give that to him. But whether we agree on what that looks like is, is what is to be determined.” Hendrickson is set to earn $16 million in 2025, with no guaranteed dollars in the final year of his contract.
However, the Bengals tend to avoid giving extensions to players over 30, opting instead to let them walk and replace them with younger, cheaper talent. With the team having around $46 million in salary cap space for 2025, Hoksin has expressed reluctance to break the bank for Hendrickson. “We can’t have guys at the top of the payroll in every position, right? We’ll do what we can. We’ll do what we feel is right, and we will try to get Trey re-signed. It’s not giving anybody an extension. It’s agreeing with somebody on an extension.”
Given Tobin’s comments, other general managers with available cap space may consider making a bid to acquire the league’s sack leader.
