Trey Hendrickson’s stat sheet says elite pass rusher. His paycheck? Just another expiring deal. Now entering the final year of his contract, the Bengals are set to pay him under $16 million—a number that might’ve made sense in 2021, not after back-to-back seasons leading the defense in sacks, hits, and pressure rate. The quiet part? He’s already told the front office last year what he’d need to stay. They agreed. But this spring, when it was time to talk numbers, they vanished.Entering the 2025 offseason, Hendrickson was crystal clear about one thing: he won’t play in the 2025 season with a modest salary. “The offers prior to the draft did not reflect the vision we shared and were promised last offseason if I continued to play at a high level,” he said a couple of months ago. “…I have been eagerly awaiting a resolution of this situation, but that’s hard to do when there is no discussion and an evident lack of interest in reaching mutual goals.”

When the other edge rushers are stacking fortune this offseason, one would expect that Trey is next in line. But is he? Absolutely not. The NFL legend, Manti Te’o, recently sat down on Good Morning Football and revealed his conversation with Hendrickson about his contract extension. Trey’s response? “They are atrociously, atrociously low,” as per Te’o, reported by Tom Pelissero. That’s not the kind of news a star pass rusher wants to hear at the pinnacle of his career.

In protest over his contract dispute, Hendrickson held out and skipped the OTAs and the minicamp. With training camp within view, he told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that he won’t show up at the Bengals‘ training camp either. And it made sense. The Bengals reportedly made several offers to Hendrickson. And if there’s truth to the chatter, Cincy made another offer over the last few days.

But as it stands Tuesday, and the headlines still aren’t reading that Trey has signed a new deal; that means no deal has been done. The catalyst? According to Schefter, it comes down to guaranteed money. The Bengals are reportedly offering Trey Hendrickson just one year of guarantees. It’s far less than what pass-rushers in his tier like Myles Garrett, Maxx Crosby, or T.J. Watt secured (each with three guaranteed years).

But that’s just scratching the surface. Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz added that beyond guarantees, there’s a disconnect on contract length too—making it clear: this isn’t just about money. It’s about principle. Amidst all the chaos and turmoil, the Bengals’ owner, Mike Brown, is still optimistic about Hendrickson’s future in Cincy.

Mike Brown wants Trey Hendrickson’s deal done ASAP

Trey Hendrickson’s moves in July seemed palpable: no way he’s going to show up at the Bengals’ training camp without a contract extension in his hand. To spice it up, Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network confirmed that the talks between the 30-year-old pass-rusher and Cincy “broke down” due to disagreement on guaranteed money. Plus, Hendrickson shared a cryptic post on his Instagram and confirmed that he has left Ohio for his home state of Florida.

The writing is on the wall: just like the OTAs and the minicamp, Hendrickson is skipping the training camp as well. But Mike Brown wants the sack leader to show up at camp. And yes, he wants the deal done quickly. “It has been a long negotiation. Trey Hendrickson is a fine player, he’s a good guy, we want him here,” Brown said.

“Dealing with him is sometimes not so easy and that’s alright he’s got the right to argue his case. We’ll try to make sense of it from our perspective and we’ll see. I’m not persuaded that it isn’t going to get done, as far as I’m concerned, the sooner the better.” Cincy wants the deal done the sooner, the better. But Trey Hendrickson believes that their offer is atrociously low. That means both parties are still not on the same page with the regular season inching closer.

Hendrickson originally signed a four-year, $60 million deal back in 2021, and extended his deal by one year in 2023. But that was before he tallied back-to-back 17.5 sack seasons. Now, he knows his value. No wonder he doesn’t want to play the 2025 season with a modest $15.8 million salary. That said, Trey Hendrickson’s contract extension is still in limbo. And it’s turning out to be a huge ‘What if’ as the days are passing by.