Bengals have the Hendrickson contract despite criticism that says something else

Cincinnati (WKRC) – The Bengals treated Trey Hendrickson correctly despite the criticism that says something else.

The Bengal ended the defensive a solid by giving him permission to seek a trade, but if a team who was willing to give him a lucrative contract extension is not willing to give the Bengal’s high-end draft value in return, then the prudent step may be that he would take his contract here.

Hendrickson obviously doesn’t make that happy because he said during the Super Bowl week that he wanted the Bengals to sign him to an extension or act. The way in which the market for Top Pass-Rushers was stopped last week last week makes it difficult to see that it will be expanded in Cincinnati.

Hendrickson will earn a basic salary of $ 15.8 million in the 2025 season, and just a few weeks ago it seemed an extension between $ 25 and $ 28 million a year. Its evaluation of overthecap.com is 28 million US dollars a year, and its market value of overthecap.com is $ 31 million on average annual value.

The market has changed drastically.

With the defensive end of Las Vegas Raiders, the Maxx Crosby ends up on March 5 with an extension of $ 106 million (around $ 35 million), including $ 91.5 million, and Cleveland Browns Defensive End Myes Garrett will be an average content on Sunday with an average content.

After all, Hendrickson led the NFL in sacks at 17.5 last year and had 17.5 in 2023. Since he signed the Bengals as Free Agent in 2021, he has 57.0 sacks. For comparison, Garrett had 14.0 in the last two seasons and 60.0 in the last four seasons, while Crosby had 7.5 sacks (played in just 12 games) and 42.5 sacks since 2021.

Maybe Hendrickson is not worth as much as Garrett (who is two years younger), but he is certainly worth as much as Crosby.

Whatever the real value for Hendrickson, it is probably at a point where the Bengals simply cannot afford to pay for it, or it would not be advisable to do this (especially with extensions for Ja’marr Chase and tea highgins in the mix).

Albert Breer from Si.com wrote in his weekly column on Monday: “I do not see that the Bengals Trey Hendrickson have a difficult place for Cincinnati for less than a second round. If you have a team for giving up a team and one year for a 31-year-old Rusher Hendrickon camp with a price of US dollar Hendrickon camp.

If the Hendrickson trade makes an inappropriate proposal for the Bengals, it brings us to the only other conclusion: let it play this season under his current contract.

He can spread to Otas and even miss a few training camps, but if he wants to be paid after this season, he must appear at a high level.

It may not be fair, but the market has gone crazy in its position, and unfortunately the free agent market to find its replacement is not very good. You could argue that the Bengals should have received an expansion at a reasonable price, but do not think that he would not request a second as soon as possible to the Crosby and Garrett offers.

The Bengals have Hendrickson for this season and after it is over, they can make it on their way to the free agency and then receive a choice of compensation (perhaps similar to what they may have been offered in a trade). There is also the possibility to place the franchise day in 2026.

The Bengals did the right thing to let Hendrickson explore the market, and so far it doesn’t seem as if there are many teams that are ready to give him what he wants, and the few who are apparently not ready or are unable to give the Bengals what they want in return.

That could certainly change, but if it is not careful what to do, it is to keep it and find his replacement in the next season.