Trey Hendrickson contract impasse: Bengals fielding trade offers for DE, per report

With the start of the 2025 season just two weeks away, and contract talks at a clear impasse, the Cincinnati Bengals are reportedly actively “listenting to trade offers” for four-time Pro Bowl defensive end Trey Hendrickson, according to NFL.com insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero.

Hendrickson, the NFL’s reigning sack leader, is currently entrenched in a contract dispute with the Bengals, and is sitting-in — attending preseason camp but no actively participating in practice –as he seeks a lucrative, longterm deal ahead of his final season of a one-year, $21 million extension signed in 2023. The 6-foot-4, 265-pound Hendickson, who led the NFL with 17.5 sacks in 2024, was granted permission to seek a trade in March after contract discussions broke down this Spring, though nothing much came of it and he elected to report to training camp rather than hold out.

Still, Hendrickson is clearly frustrated by the lack of progress with Cincinnati, and as the 2025 season gets closer and closer, the Bengals front office appears at least open to dealing their All-Pro pass rusher. Shortly after the NFL Network insiders dropped the latest news Sunday afternoon, FOX insider Jordan Schultz revealed the Carolina Panthers, Cleveland Browns and Indianapolis Colts are among the teams that have shown the most interest in acquiring Hendrickson in a trade. The Bengals are reportedly seeing “an impact player (or two) plus a draft pick in return,” per Schultz.

Hendrickson is likely seeking a deal at least on-par with the $40 million-per-year average salary range that fellow NFC North pass rushers Myles Garrett and TJ Watt received earlier this offseason from the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers, respectively. Watt signed a historic three-year, $123 million extension in July that will pay him $41 million annually, representing the highest average salary for a non-quarterback in NFL history. Garrett signed a four-year, $160 million deal in March.

Report: Trey Hendrickson unhappy with guaranteed money in Bengals last two offers: ‘I was more than willing to take less’

Guaranteed money appears to be the holdup between Hendrickson and the Bengals, according to The Athletic‘s Dianna Russini. Late last month, Russini spoke with Hendrickson, who said two offers have been made but the guarantees have not been good enough. From there, the decision was made to leave training camp so he would not be a distraction.

“They received two offers in a 24-hour span, none containing the guarantees past the first year he was looking for,” Russini said via X. “Hendrickson didn’t want to hear the practice whistles while being a distraction to his teammates, so he and his wife Alisa decided to pack up and head to Florida.”

Russini then provided a direct quote from Hendrickson on the situation. The Bengals star said, “I was more than willing to take less in some ways in order to make this work.”

Unfortunately, it appears as if the contract dispute is going to continue. Reports have indicated Hendrickson could miss regular season games if an agreement is not found. And given the recent history Cincinnati has with slow starts, losing Hendrickson would be a major blow for a team with high expectations.

The Bengals will kick the season off on Sept. 7 with a divisional game vs. the Cleveland Browns. Another home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars will follow before heading on the road for an interesting matchup with the Minnesota Vikings.

— On3’s Griffin McVeigh contributed to this report.