'Actions Are Speaking A Lot Louder' - Trey Hendrickson Sounds Off on Bengals' Front Office

CINCINNATI — Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson made one thing clear on Wednesday: he isn't happy.

The All-Pro pass rusher joined the Pat McAfee Show on Wednesday after Bengals Executive Vice President Katie Blackburn talked about Cincinnati's contract negotiations with Hendrickson.

“He should be happy at certain rates that maybe he doesn't think he'd be happy at,” Blackburn said.“Some of it is on him to be happy at some point, and if he's not, that's what holds it up sometimes. It takes him to say yes to something. We have all the respect in the world for him. He's been a great player. We're happy to have him. And so maybe we'll find a way to get something to work. We're just gonna see where it goes.”

Those comments are reasonable on the surface, but Hendrickson took exception to them.

"The one thing I was hoping that was an April Fool's joke was that article," he said.

Hendrickson said the Bengals told him in the past that they planned on giving him a raise and an extension this offseason.

"Last year, 'Go out and play to the level you have, we'll get it done.' That was communicated with me," he said. "So that basically, this year is going to get worked on. They also reiterated that at the combine, so that just kind of clears the air on that and moving forward the happiness of my camp."

That's a big reason why Hendrickson is expecting a new deal. Couple that with the market changing for defensive ends and he wants to be paid what he's worth.

Hendrickson compared the defensive end market to the housing market—both continue to rise.

"One of the primary apps I use on my phone is Zillow So it's a good comparison, right? So three years ago. It was the Rashan Gary, the Montez Sweats. Those guys were balling out and then the next year it was the Brian Burns and the Josh Allen deals. They were balling and now it's getting to the point where guys with two years left on their deals Maxx Crosby, Myles Garrett [and] guys with one year left on their deal the Danielle Hunter, myself and T.J. (Watt) and obviously Micah Parsons He's an incredible athlete as well. I just see that that's the street. The market value for that is going up like it did for wide receiver last year."

Hendrickson made it clear he wants guaranteed money, a long-term contract and wants to be a "Bengal for life."

"I’m not willing to play for incentives that will be out of my control," Hendrickson said. "I don’t think I want to play for a short-term contract and see where it goes. I would like to tell my wife here is where we are going to live and here is where we are going to build a family together."

He's also frustrated with the communication or lack thereof from the Bengals' front office.

"They're more than welcome to call me. I've had the same cell phone number since high school. Open line of communication is always open with me and my agent, so if they have anything they'd like to discuss, we've been nothing but willing to listen," Hendrickson said.

He clearly feels disrespected and even praised Bengals head coach Zac Taylor in the process.

"You can say respect. Respect is something I have for Zac Taylor and I take that approach every day being on time, communicating with him and, yes sir I will do all the right things. There's a mutual respect. Just to say the word respect and actions are speaking a lot louder in a different direction, it’s disappointing."

Watch the entire show here.

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