The first big extension for the Cincinnati Bengals goes to defensive end Trey Hendrickson.
Wednesday, the Bengals announced they reached an agreement with Hendrickson to keep him under contract through the 2025 season.
Hendrickson, who had 14 sacks in 2021 and eight in 2022, was originally under contract through 2024, making this a one-year extension.
The move comes as a mild surprise given Hendrickson’s age (28), the selection of defensive end Myles Murphy in the first round this year and the need to get extensions done for Joe Burrow, Tee Higgins, Logan Wilson and others.
That said, there’s a chance the makeup of the extension actually clears cap space in 2023, which could help pave the way for those other extensions.
Hendrickson has been a core part of the deep playoff runs and was one of the top free agents coming up soon, so the move makes sense.
We have signed DE Trey Hendrickson to a one-year contract extension through the 2025 season.
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) July 27, 2023
