Hendrickson has made clear he wants an extension or trade, as he enters the final season of the contract he extended in 2023, but despite recent reports pointing to the team’s efforts to create some space in the budget, no agreement has been reached.
The 30-year-old came out with a statement through ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Monday shooting down the idea there has even been contact between his camp and the Bengals since the draft.
“No communication has taken place between my camp and the organization post draft,” Hendrickson said in the statement. ”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. Coaches are aware of these past conversations. Rather than using collaboration to get us to a point to bring me home to the team, they are no longer communicating. 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.”
This is the third straight year Hendrickson is trying to get a long-term deal done. In 2023, he signed a one-year extension to his original contract, which now expires at the end of 2025. After outperforming his contract again, he sought a new deal last offseason and ended up asking for a trade.
According to Hendrickson, he then was told an extension would be arranged this year if he played to the same level. Hendrickson repeated his 2023 production with a league-leading 17.5 sacks, and Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin acknowledged since then that Hendrickson was deserving of a raise.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
It just wasn’t a given the parties would be able to come to an agreement.
Hendrickson said in an interview on the Pat McAfee Show in April his lines of communication are always open but the Bengals had only been in touch “here and there.” He’s made clear the Bengals’ offer hasn’t matched what he believes he is worth and told McAfee he didn’t feel respected.
According to Spotrac, Hendrickson’s average annual salary of $21 million for 2025 doesn’t even rank in the top 10 for his position. There are 19 defensive linemen making more money per year.
Myles Garrett, on his new deal reached this offseason, is set to make $40 million per year. Hendrickson is set to make $15.8 million in base salary this year, but wants long-term security and money that matches the increased market for the league’s top pass rushers.
Hendrickson has declined to share what has been offered and what he wants in a new contract but said in the interview with McAfee there are some things he is willing to budge on and things he is not. He isn’t interested in playing for incentives that are out of control, nor on a short-term contract.
He’s also said he is not looking to be the highest paid or “first in line,” but hinted that he wants something done before OTAs because “those are the things that matter when you’re talking about a Super Bowl.”
The Bengals are in Week 4 of their offseason workout program, and Hendrickson has not been in attendance.
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