NFL Insider: Cincinnati Bengals 'Working On' New Deal for Trey Hendrickson, Expected to Exceed $30 Million

The Bengals are hoping to sign Hendrickson to a long-term contract this offseason.

Dec 22, 2024; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson (91) runs onto the field before the game against the Cleveland Browns at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images / Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

CINCINNATI — The Bengals gave defensive end Trey Hendrickson permission to seek a trade earlier this month, but now that they have Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins signed to long-term contracts, it sounds like they've shifted their focus toward keeping the NFL's sack leader in Cincinnati.

Hendrickson led the NFL with 17.5 sacks last season. He has 35 total sacks over the past two years.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network shared the latest on Hendrickson's future during an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show.

"Hendrickson is awesome. He deserves a lot of money. I think his next contract is going to be above 30 [million per year]. Is it going to beat Max Crosby [$35 million per year]? I don't know, but it's going to be above 30," Rapoport said. "I know the Bengals are working on it. And I know they would like to keep him in the building. They would like to pay him. And I think they would like people to stop saying, 'why don't the Bengals pay their guys?' Because they do. And I think getting Hendrickson done at a money and a value that makes sense for both sides will be a great way for the Bengals to be like: 'see.'"

The Bengals planned on paying Chase, Higgins and Hendrickson entering this offseason. Now they're contract away from getting all three players signed to long-term deals.

Is a trade possible? Never say never, but it feels unlikely.

"The Bengals do not like letting good players leave the building," Rapoport said. "Even if it's for like a huge draft pick, they don't like it. They like to develop, draft, develop, sign their own guys. And I think they get annoyed that people think that they don't sign their guys."

Hendrickson is one of the top pass rushers in the NFL. Keeping him on the team will make life so much easier for Myles Murphy, Joseph Ossai, Cedric Johnson and any of the young defensive linemen they take in the 2025 NFL Draft.

"Yeah, we can make it happen. We can make it happen," Bengals star quarterback Joe Burrow said last month. "It just has to be right for everybody involved. I know the players wanna make it work, we all wanna be together. I don't see it not working out, but we'll see."

Hendrickson currently has one year left on his current contract. He'll make $16 million in base salary this season without a new deal.

Last week, we wrote that an agreement could take some time to come together. The Bengals clearly want to keep Hendrickson. We'll see if they can reach an agreement with him.

Watch the Pat McAfee Show below:

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