Cincinnati Bengals star Trey Hendrickson has made it clear he has no intention of showing up for training camp without a new contract, and the same may be true of the regular season.
Hendrickson is set to make $16 million in the final season of his contract this year. The star pass-rusher has publicly expressed frustration with the Bengals on more than one occasion for what he perceives as a lack of good faith in negotiations about an extension.
Earlier this month, Hendrickson indicated that he will not play in Week 1 if he does not have a new deal in place. Other players have made that threat in the past, but few have followed through. Hendrickson seems serious, at least for now.
In a story that was published on Thursday, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler said several people who are familiar with Hendrickson’s thinking believe there is a chance he could follow through on skipping regular-season games or even the entire year. One of Fowler’s sources described Hendrickson as “extremely dug in.”
Hendrickson is unhappy with Zac Taylor
Hendrickson is frustrated with the Bengals for not giving him a raise, and you can understand why. The 30-year-old had 35 sacks over the past two seasons, which was the most in the NFL during that span. He had 17.5 sacks each season and finished second in NFL Defensive Player of the Year voting last year.
But Hendrickson is not pleased with Bengals head coach Zac Taylor, either. While speaking with the media on May 13, Hendrickson called out Taylor by name. Hendrickson said he was bothered by Taylor telling him that the defensive lineman will be fined if he decides to skip mandatory minicamp, which at the time was several weeks away.
“Other things have transpired, like the importance of me being here in OTAs doesn’t seem to be respected,” Hendrickson said. “I think I’ve carried a lot of respect. I don’t mean to insinuate anything about anyone’s character, but that was disappointing.”
Hendrickson showed up for OTAs, but he was not in uniform.
A trade market never materialized
Hendrickson said in March that the Bengals had given him permission to seek a trade and thanked them for the opportunity. It then looked at one point like the two sides were making progress toward a new deal, but the negotiations have since gone stagnant.
According to ESPN’s Ben Baby, several teams showed interest in Hendrickson but never got close to acquiring the four-time Pro Bowl selection in a trade.
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow recently shared his thoughts on Hendrickson’s contract dispute.
