The Cincinnati Bengals have yet to come to an agreement on an extension for wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, but letting defensive end Trey Hendrickson seek a trade elsewhere will free up some room for that. Still, giving up the NFL’s leader in sacks last season isn’t going to sit well with the Bengals fans, who were hoping to see all three players return in 2025.
The Bengals have taken the rare step of granting All-Pro DE Trey Hendrickson permission to seek a trade. “It’s been an honor and privilege to represent Cincinnati over the last four years,” said Hendrickson, the NFL’s sack leader. “I love this city and organization. I appreciate… pic.twitter.com/7P7Hbe2Y9e
– Adam Scha after (@Adamscha after) March 6, 2025
The Bengals’ plan after Hendrickson
The Bengals failed to come to an agreement with Hendrickson for the last two years and finally decided to part ways, granting him permission to seek a trade despite having one year left on his contract. Once Hendrickson and another team agree to a contract, the Bengals will have the ultimate say on whether or not they take the deal. So the compensation ought to do it justice.
Hendrickson was the NFL leader in sacks last season with 17.5 and was selected to the Pro Bowl in each of his four years with the Bengals. Staying in Cincinnati another season, however, would mean being severely underpaid for that kind of work.
With defensive end Sam Hubbard retiring this season, Cincinnati now has a big hole to fill at the position.
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The reason for the decision to let Hendrickson walk is obviously financial. So the Bengals’ next move will likely be to work something out with Chase and Higgins. Chase is hoping to be the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL, and Higgins was just given the franchise tag for a second year in a row. Still, the team has expressed their desire to come to a long-term deal with Higgins, so that’s likely a priority on their to-do list.
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