Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson will not report to training camp Tuesday, he told Adam Schefter, continuing to stick to his game plan throughout the offseason until he gets a new contract.
Hendrickson said in May he will not suit up under his current deal, which is set to pay him a $15.8 million base salary in 2025. The Bengals came to the table with several offers to last season’s NFL sack leader, including one over the weekend according to the NFL Network, but nothing materialized.
“It has been a long negotiation. Trey Hendrickson is a fine player, he’s a good guy, we want him here,” Bengals owner Mike Brown said Monday. “Dealing with him is sometimes not so easy and that’s alright he’s got the right to argue his case. We’ll try to make sense of it from our perspective and we’ll see. I’m not persuaded that it isn’t going to get done, as far as I’m concerned, the sooner the better.”
Reports of Hendrickson planning to skip the start of training camp apparently came as news to Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin, who said this week the team expects the four-time Pro Bowler to be present.
“He’s an important part of our team,” Tobin said. “He’s under contract and we expect all our guys under contract to be here. He’s a guy who has been very valuable. He has earned a raise and extension. We’ll see if we can come together on something.”
Hendrickson registered a league-best 17.5 sacks last season, equaling his 2023 numbers as one of the NFL’s top edge rushers. He also accumulated 46 combined tackles, including 33 solo tackles, which were career-bests in both categories.
Hendrickson has been an impact player and headliner for Cincinnati’s defensive efforts since joining the Bengals in 2021. The franchise is also in the middle of a contract dispute with first-round pick and fellow defensive end Shemar Stewart, who wants a fully-guaranteed deal without any behavioral stipulations.
Stewart is the NFL’s only unsigned first-rounder. Cincinnati is trying to set a precedent with rookie contracts that allows ownership to void future guarantees, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. Stewart is asking that his contract language mirror the team’s last first-round picks.
Go to Source
Author: Brad Crawford
July 22, 2025 | 8:35 am
