Trey Hendrickson Ending Hold-In After Agreeing to New Contract With Cincinnati Bengals

Done deal. The hold-in is over for Trey Hendrickson.

Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson (91) assists with drills during a preseason training camp practice in downtown Cincinnati on Thursday, July 31, 2025. | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

CINCINNATI — Done deal. The Bengals and Trey Hendrickson have agreed to a re-worked contract that will keep him in Cincinnati for the 2025 season.

Hendrickson's base salary will go uo from $16 million to $30 million for the 2025 season according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. He's still set to become a free agent in March.

There were plenty of trade rumblings, but the Bengals never seriously considered trading the reigning NFL sack leader.

“We aren’t going to trade Trey. We’re working to get Trey re-signed as we speak," Bengals owner Mike Brown said last month. "Our guys are in the office working to get that done. And I think it will get done.”

It took time, but it did get done.

Hendrickson will start to practice with the team this week with the regular season opener just 13 days away.

The Bengals could still use the franchise tag on Hendrickson next offseason, but it would be somewhere in the $39 million range.

Hendrickson didn't get the long-term security he was looking for.

"Recognition is not something I'm chasing," Hendrickson said last month. "Security is something I value and telling my wife where we're going to play, those are things that matter to me. I can't talk about statistics, I can't talk about recognition or anything like that. I think when you get those things, it's an honor and a privilege and I'm blessed to have some of the accolades I do, but I don't chase those things."

The Bengals offered different variations of multi-year contracts, but those deals didn't have the guaranteed money that Hendrickson is looking for. Ultimately, the All-Pro defensive end decided to take a pay raise this year and bet on himself. Time will tell if he made the right decision.

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