The situation between the Cincinnati Bengals and star defender Trey Hendrickson was always going to get messy.
Wednesday served up proof.
Appearing on Pat McAfee’s show, Hendrickson was blunt in his assessment of his current situation with the Bengals.
One sentence summed it up well: “I want to help win a Super Bowl for Cincinnati if I’m there or not.”
Translated: Extension or trade me.
“I think the offseason is a good time to address contract issues,” Hendrickson said. “You don’t wanna become a distraction for the team because the goal is to win a Super Bowl for Cincinnati..If there’s something we can agree on I would love to stay in Cincinnati.”
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It’s unfortunate things have reached this point for the Bengals. Hendrickson requested a trade last offseason due to dissatisfaction with his current contract.
Now, it seems the two parties haven’t been on the same page in the wake of the season ending. Even worse, while Hendrickson said he appreciated recent public comments made by Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin, he would’ve preferred to hear it from the team, rather than through public means.
The fact Hendrickson is this open to being traded speaks volumes, as does his desire to not let this linger into training camp.
For what it’s worth, quarterback Joe Burrow is next up on the media tour around the Super Bowl on Thursday, and he’s been mildly critical and open about things, too.
Duke Tobin has been speaking about contract extensions..
“I would have preferred to hear about this differently than my dad texting me a tweet..
Obviously the table is being set..
I love to play football and I love for my play to do the talking” ~ Trey Hendrickson #PMSLive https://t.co/1vudxJtMjk pic.twitter.com/V8h18NLgh6
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) February 5, 2025
