Let’s start with Trey Hendrickson‘s performance for the Bengals in 4 seasons. 65 games (63 starts), 104 solo tackles, and 57 sacks! But even that was not enough to convince Mike Brown and his front office of an extension. The DE has made his stance crystal clear. He’s not suiting up for the Bengals in 2025 under his current deal. The defensive end is scheduled to make $16 million this season, but he’s done playing ball, at least, contractually, unless Cincinnati steps up. The team hasn’t blinked so far. And now? They may be prepping their next move, the five-day letter.

Former NFL agent Joel Corry revealed this. The rarely used, borderline nuclear option under the NFL Constitution and Bylaws. It’s a procedural hammer that can ultimately place a player on the reserve/left squad list, stripping him of pay, play, and any semblance of a 2025 season. Once on that list, a player is persona non grata, no meetings, no practices, no games. Just silence. Corry also talked about how Micah Parsons and the Cowboys are in the same situation, and so are the Commanders and Terry McLaurin.

But to let a star walk away? Yeah, only Cincy could, realistically speaking. Corry wrote on his CBS column: “Out of the three teams, the Bengals appear to be the most likely to go to the nuclear option first with a player walking out.”

The clock starts with a letter. And if Trey Hendrickson doesn’t return within five days? That’s it. The Bengals would freeze his deal, tolling it to 2026. No paycheck, no accrual, and no credit toward free agency. It’s not unheard of, but it’s close. Only a handful of players have received the five-day letter over the last two decades. Kentwan Balmer, Su’a Cravens, Percy Harvin, Richard Seymour. That’s it. The tool exists, but teams rarely pull it out of the toolbox.

So why would the Bengals? Because, frankly, they’ve done it before. Carson Palmer ring a bell? Cincinnati didn’t flinch when he walked away in 2011. Mike Brown let him sit in retirement for half a season before sending him to Oakland, only after the Raiders lost their starter. That’s who the Bengals are. Principles over panic. Patience over pressure.

So, when Hendrickson threatens to leave if they don’t pay? History says Mike Brown is fully capable of calling that bluff. The closest historical parallel might be Terry Glenn. In 2001, after a suspension, Glenn left Patriots training camp. New England hit him with a five-day letter too. His camp scrambled to set up a meeting with the team. Didn’t matter.

The Pats still put him on the reserve list, and Glenn filed a grievance. Fast. Arbitrator Richard Bloch sided with the player, not because of the letter itself, but because the team shut the door while Glenn’s camp was actively trying to re-engage.

Could Hendrickson’s agent, Harold Lewis, try a similar play if the Bengals follow through? Maybe. But unless Lewis has some tightrope negotiation ready, the team doesn’t seem likely to cave.

Trey Hendrickson is unhappy with Mike Brown’s mega offer

The Bengals have cracked open the vault, but Trey Hendrickson isn’t budging. And neither is Mike Brown. At first glance, it seems like Cincinnati finally blinked. Multiple reports, including a fresh one from Albert Breer, suggest the Bengals’ latest offer to Hendrickson comes with an average annual value “well into the $30 millions.” That would place him right up there with the Nick Bosa ($34 million AAV) and TJ Watt ($41 million AAV) tier. That part? Done.

But let’s not kid ourselves, the real battleground was never about how much. It’s about how secure. Hendrickson wants something this franchise rarely gives out, guaranteed money beyond year one. Mike Brown, who’s long held the reputation of being one of the most fiscally conservative owners in the league, isn’t about to rewrite his internal policy for a 30-year-old edge rusher, even one who has consistently delivered double-digit sacks.

Sure, Tee Higgins (4-year, $115 million) and Ja’Marr Chase (4-year, $161 million) got theirs. But let’s be honest, they play positions Brown has to flex for. Defense? Pass rushers? That’s not the same bucket.

This is about precedent. The Bengals reportedly considered softening their stance slightly, maybe offering some second-year guarantees. But Trey Hendrickson’s camp isn’t settling. Word is there’s still a $10 million gap in guaranteed money between the two sides.

The tension is real. But top-of-market players don’t play on contracts that vanish the moment they get hurt. Hendrickson knows that. His agents know that. Mike Brown also knows that if he gives in here, to a defensive player, past 30, with some injury history, the line outside his door in 2026 is going to be long.

So, what happens next? If this drags into the season, trade noise will start creeping in. Quietly, a few AFC teams have already poked around. For now, that core philosophical gap, guarantees vs. tradition, isn’t going away without someone blinking.