Within the absence of a brand new deal, Bengals wideout Tee Higgins is understood to be looking for a commerce sending him elsewhere. The identical is now true of edge-rusher Trey Hendrickson.
The latter is aiming to be dealt, ESPN’s Adam Schefter experiences. Hendrickson has two years remaining on his contract, however Schefter notes the Bengals haven’t been keen to fulfill his asking worth on a brand new deal. Cincinnati will now have an attention-grabbing determination to make on this case on the eve of the draft. To no shock, although, Paul Dehner of The Athletic provides the crew has no intention of understanding a commerce.
Hendrickson joined the Bengals on a four-year, $60M deal in 2021. He has confirmed to be a extremely impactful member of the crew’s entrance seven since then, incomes a Professional Bowl nod in every of the previous three years. Regardless of this previous season not representing a stroll yr, crew and participant agreed to a one-year extension in July. That pact set Hendrickson up with a $5M increase for the 2023 marketing campaign and base salaries of $14.8M and $15.8M over the following two years.
Neither of these figures are assured, although, and this information come as Hendrickson eyes one other spherical of changes to his deal relating to up-front compensation. As Schefter’s colleague Jeremy Fowler notes, the 29-year-old has missed Bengals offseason exercises in every of the previous two seasons amidst unrest relating to his deal. Hendrickson has posted 39.5 sacks in his tenure with Cincinnati, together with a career-high 17.5 final season. The latter determine positioned him a tie for second within the league.
Regardless of Hendrickson’s success, the Bengals ranked simply seventeenth within the league in sack manufacturing (the crew’s second-leading rusher, Sam Hubbard, totaled six sacks). Whereas that showcases the previous third-rounder’s significance to Cincinnati, it may clarify the crew’s hesitancy in making a second long-term funding in him. In any case, the Bengals will likely be a crew to observe carefully as the remainder of the offseason unfolds.
Regardless of the commerce request, Higgins expects to play out the 2024 season in Cincinnati on the franchise tag. Supplied the Bengals comply with by on retaining Hendrickson, he too will likely be a key determine within the crew’s efforts to return to the postseason this marketing campaign. Nonetheless, it will likely be attention-grabbing to see if a notable draft addition is made alongside the sting this weekend with Hendrickson’s monetary standing nonetheless representing a possible challenge.
