It gets lost in the chatter about extensions for Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, never mind a coaching search now, but the Cincinnati Bengals have a Trey Hendrickson problem, too.
Don’t forget that last April, right before the draft, Hendrickson demanded a trade due to dissatisfaction with his contract. That later got walked back and things proceeded as normal en route to the star defensive end leading the NFL in sacks this season.
But the bill is coming due.
The Bengals will undoubtedly need to address the contract issue with Hendrickson or risk more disruptions. And given the lack of quality pass-rushers around him on the roster, it’s hard to blame him.
What else speaks to Hendrickson’s importance? The droves of trade ideas making the rounds, such a recent one that suggests the Chicago Bears could get him from the Bengals in return for a third-round pick, courtesy of Bear Report’s Andrew Freeman:
This move admittedly requires a lot of projection, as while Hendrickson has made his displeasure with the Bengals front office apparent with his lack of a new contract, the Bengals have shown very little willingness to move their star pass rusher. Still, with the Bengals missing the playoffs this past year and many decisions that need to be made on several players, Cincinnati may be more willing to trade Hendrickson this offseason.
Zero chance this happens, barring things hitting a code-red holdout between the Bengals and Hendrickson. But the idea is hardly a rare one at this point, as Hendrickson is often floated as a trade candidate by outsiders.
The Bengals aren’t going to move Hendrickson, obviously. But it’s very similar to the noise around Higgins, who keeps popping up atop free-agency wishlists and/or sign-and-trade ideas — the noise won’t stop until the Bengals actually get an extension done.
