For over three decades, the Bengals have moved to the rhythm of one family’s instincts. The Brown name isn’t just on the mailbox, it’s imprinted on every layer of the organization. Mike Brown, son of Paul, has run Cincinnati like a small business in the middle of a billion-dollar league. Frugal by design. Loyal to a fault. Change? That’s never really been the family brand. But this week, something happened that suggests even the most unbending structures eventually give a little.

The Bengals promoted three longtime internal fixtures, Steven Radicevic, Mike Potts, and Trey Brown, to assistant general manager roles, a first in franchise history. It’s not just semantics. These are critical voices now with formal titles, and that changes how decisions are made.

Radicevic, who first joined the Bengals in 2011, has worn a lot of hats, starting as a football operations intern before rising to Director of Football Operations. A UCLA grad with a law background, he’s been the Bengals’ lead negotiator on some of their most high-stakes extensions, including the historic $275 million deal for Joe Burrow and the multi-year contracts for Logan Wilson and Trey Hendrickson.

Mike Potts enters his 11th season with Cincinnati and eighth as Director of College Scouting. A former James Madison quarterback, Potts oversees everything related to the college draft process. He’s been instrumental in helping Cincinnati land foundational pieces in recent years, Ja’Marr Chase, Dax Hill, Cam Taylor-Britt, and even value picks like DJ Turner II and Andrei Iosivas.

Then there’s Trey Brown, a bit of a wildcard, and possibly the most intriguing of the three. A former NFL cornerback turned front office riser, Brown has built one of the more unconventional résumés in the league. He cut his teeth in Philadelphia’s front office during their Super Bowl LII run, had a stint with the Patriots, and even led player personnel for the XFL’s St. Louis Battlehawks. Brown joined Cincinnati in 2021 and has become a rising force in pro scouting.

The decision comes at a time when the contract holdout is causing them concern. It’s a statement. And Trey Hendrickson is making it loud.

Mike Brown & co. stuck in a tense situation

The Bengals’ Pro Bowl pass rusher has become the most visible face of a growing standoff inside Cincinnati’s locker room, as three players, Hendrickson, rookie defensive lineman Shemar Stewart, and a still-unsigned second-round pick LB Demetrius Knight, continue to hold out. What started as individual negotiations has taken on a new tone, quiet defiance, and turned collective.

Trey Hendrickson has been the most vocal and high-impact absconder. With one year and $16 million remaining on his current deal, he’s flat-out refused to play without a new extension. After leading the NFL with 17.5 sacks in each of the past two seasons, his camp is reportedly seeking a roughly 3-year, $115.5 million package (about $100 million guaranteed). Though the team reportedly offered as much as $28 million per year, Hendrickson has turned it down.

Moreover, he’s currently racking up fines, over $100,000 already, for skipping minicamp. In his words? He won’t play for what he’s been offered. No theatrics, just a straight line to the GM’s office, pay me like a top‑tier pass rusher or don’t count on me.

On the flip side, Shemar Stewart’s 4-year, roughly $18.9 million fully guaranteed rookie package (including a $10.4 million signing bonus) falls in line with 2025 slotting, but the dispute isn’t about dollars. It’s about language. Cincinnati wants void clauses that could eliminate future guarantees for issues like ejections, suspensions, or misconduct.

But Stewart’s camp won’t budge. As he put it, “Y’all just want to win arguments instead of winning more games.” This replicates a pattern last seen in 2018 with Roquan Smith’s holdout, and hence Stewart’s resistance has parallels. The question now is, he playing ball on the field, or going back to Texas A&M or even restarting in the 2026 draft?

And there’s still a second-round rookie, Demetrius Knight Jr., who reportedly signed a participation waiver to attend camp but declined to ink his full rookie deal. That makes three simultaneous holdouts on one team. According to Adam Schefter, no other NFL roster is in this predicament right now. It’s a tense moment, both in Cincinnati’s locker room and across the league.