Bengals, Trey Hendrickson Agree to One-Year Raise, Ending Months Long Contract Dispute

Hendrickson will return to Cincinnati during the 2025 season.

The Bengals and defensive end Trey Hendrickson finally agreed to a new deal. / Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

After months of dispute over a potential contract extension, the Bengals and Trey Hendrickson are finally closing in on a new deal, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport reported on Monday. The deal will make him one of the league's highest-paid defenders this season.

The Bengals are giving Hendrickson a $14 million raise on his salary for the 2025 season, boosting it up to $30 million, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported. He can also earn a $1 million incentive if he plays 60% of the defensive snaps in 2025.

Hendrickson's deal is for just one year, as both sides wanted to complete something before the start of the 2025 season. Both Cincinnati and Hendrickson reviewed various options, but this is the one they went with in the end. Hendrickson is still set to become an unrestricted free agent in 2026.

Hendrickson's New Deal Ends Extremely Long Standoff Between Him and Bengals

The contract dispute between Hendrickson and the Bengals was rather dramatic this year, dating back to early March when the defensive end requested permission to seek a trade from the team. Cincinnati granted his request, but not much movement occurred from the Bengals trying to give him an extension or from other teams interested in trading for him.

Things were stale between Hendrickson and the Bengals for months, prompting the reigning sacks leader to issue a public statement about his frustration regarding the contract talks (or lack thereof). A day later, Hendrickson showed up to the team's offseason practices and aired more grievances, specifically with his disappointment in coach Zac Taylor.

It took another month for contract talks to start up again between both sides. Still, Hendrickson was holding out from practicing until he got the extension he wanted. He did end up returning to training camp at the end of July, despite the lack of movement from the Bengals.

In the end, it took until Aug. 25 for the two sides to come to an agreement. We'll see if the same situation occurs next offseason when Hendrickson becomes an unrestricted free agent.

Multiple Bengals Stars Earned Huge Contracts This Offseason

While Hendrickson was slowly waiting on the Bengals to make moves on his contract, some of his star teammates got the cash they were looking for.

Cincinnati made receiver Ja'Marr Chase the highest-paid non-quarterback NFL player in history at the time (Steelers' T.J. Watt has since surpassed this amount) with a four-year $161 million extension with $112 guaranteed. On the same day, the Bengals also gave receiver Tee Higgins a four-year deal worth $115 million.

Hendrickson wasn't the only defensive end to be in a contract standoff this offseason. Rookie Shemar Stewart only just signed his rookie contract on July 25 after he spent months not practicing with his new team because he didn't agree to what the Bengals wanted to offer him. He ended up earning a fully guaranteed four-year deal, with $500,000 of his $10.4 million paid to him upfront.

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