On a morning when the Cincinnati Bengals were supposed to roar back to life—when every hopeful, bruised, and battle-tested vet was due to trickle into the Kettering Health Practice Fields, Trey Hendrickson’s story took a drastic turn. After months of waiting for a new deal worthy of his Pro Bowl pedigree, the contract holdout wasn’t going anywhere. When Hendrickson, the defensive backbone for the Bengals, missed last month’s minicamps, frustrations were already high. But now, things have gone south, literally.

Since joining from New Orleans in 2021, Hendrickson has been nothing short of a revelation. Two 17.5 sack campaigns in a row, a reputation for relentless motor, and, with contract talks on the table, a public assertion he wouldn’t play under his current deal. Hendrickson is set to earn around $16 million this season, a number well below market for elite edge rushers. The Bengals, meanwhile, have been working to give Hendrickson a new deal. Hendrickson’s expectation is to get a deal close to $35 million a year, in line with what stars like Maxx Crosby, Myles Garrett, and TJ Watt now command. All the while, no new deal. No numbers that satisfy both sides. The result? 

Trey Hendrickson is enjoying the open roads about 900 miles south of Cincinnati.

Bengals insider Kelsey Conway broke the news on X. Hendrickson wasn’t just absent; he was on vacation. “Trey Hendrickson posted that he’s in Florida this morning on training camp report date in Cincinnati a day after Bengals owner Mike Brown said he felt like the team was in a good spot with him on a new deal.” Hendrickson notably posted an IG story of the sunrise on an open road, with the location ping reading Florida. The message was unmistakable. It’s no longer a holdout. It’s a full-blown standoff. With both camps dug in over length and guaranteed terms, Hendrickson has made his leverage play as visible as possible by remaining in Florida and away from his teammates. His decision raises the stakes not just for owner Mike Brown, but for everyone expecting a defense to carry Joe Burrow to the Super Bowl dreams.

This standoff draws on a recent NFL trend. Even with a season left on their deals, peak pass rushers have opted to sit out and fight for longer-term guarantees. For Cincinnati, the timing couldn’t be more urgent. Hendrickson, now 30, is coming off his most productive season. He’s already seen as the engine to push Al Golden’s new defensive campaign. Any injury or roster hiccup will amplify the risk for the franchise, especially in an AFC North that looks deeper and nastier by the year. By sitting out the minicamps, Hendrickson has already received fines of around $105,000. Missing the training camp now will only add to the fines. Bengals’ Director of Player Personnel Duke Tobin recently noted, “We believe everyone under contract should be here for camp.” Hendrickson remains adamant.

This is a franchise familiar with contract drama, but unaccustomed to such a public, pointed split between their locker room leaders and front office. And this latest development comes only a short while after Mike Brown shared a big vote of confidence in Hendrickson and discussed the contract stalemate.

Mike Brown doubles down: confidence amid chaos

While Trey Hendrickson was planning sunbathes in Florida, Bengals owner Mike Brown wasn’t blinking. During his media rounds on Monday, Brown emphasized both his determination and optimism. As per James Rapien, Brown said, “I think it’ll get done… We like Trey as a person, he’s a good guy but when it comes to these negotiations—and we’ve been through a few of them with him—he pushes hard. He gets emotional. We never have an easy time of it, but there’s one thing that is consistent. It always gets done. And I think this one will, but we’ll see. I’ve been proven wrong before, but I’m pretty confident that we’ll get there at the end.”

That confidence is built on the Bengals’ efforts to engage. They’ve offered multiple deal structures but are holding the line on long-term guarantees. A sticking point as the extension climate shifts league-wide. Brown’s bet? That leadership, and perhaps the specter of daily training camp fines, will bring Hendrickson back into the fold. But Hendrickson isn’t budging even in the face of more fines. As Tom Pelissero reports, Hendrickson isn’t buying into the guarantees the Bengals are offering: “They are atrociously, atrociously low.” For Mike Brown, on the other hand, the negotiations have “reached the level of, I can only think of a word I shouldn’t use here, but it’s silliness.” Brown believes a deal will eventually get done,. But it could still be a while before both parties agree to terms.

While the stalemate continues, the defense is already feeling the loss. Hendrickson controls what leverage he can, but the Bengals are wagering stability over runaway spending. Until Hendrickson trades the beaches of Florida for the grind of the training camp, the Bengals’ path to a title will remain in suspense—pulled between optimism in the boardroom and urgency on the field.