Report: Cincinnati Bengals No Longer Considering Trey Hendrickson Trade, Hoping to Pay Star Pass Rusher

CINCINNATI — It doesn't sound like the Cincinnati Bengals are still considering a trade involving NFL sack leader Trey Hendrickson.

The Bengals gave Hendrickson permission to seek a trade 19 days ago. They've received offers and teams have been willing to give the 30-year-old a contract extension that he's seeking. The hang up has always been on trade compensation. Cincinnati never received an offer that made them seriously consider trading the All-Pro.

It's even more clear that the Bengals don't plan to trade Hendrickson following Jordan Schultz's latest report.

"The idea of a trade appears dead," Schultz tweeted. "The organization and ownership are fully prepared to move forward and attempt to negotiate a deal with him. I don't believe they want to trade him at all and I actually would say after talking to multiple people involved, that they have now reached the conclusion that a trade is really off the table."

It's hard to envision a scenario where the Bengals have a championship level defense in 2025 without their star pass rusher.

Hendrickson is one of the top pass rushers in the NFL. He has 35 sacks over the past two seasons. Signing him to an extension will not only help first-year defensive coordinator Al Golden. It will also make life so much easier on 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."

Keeping Hendrickson always made the most sense. Now with a trade potentially off the table, it's up to Hendrickson's agent Harold Lewis and the Bengals to come to an agreement.

Hendrickson is entering the final year of his contract. He signed a one-year, $21 million extension before the 2023 season. He already received $5 million of that salary and is scheduled to make $16 million in base salary in 2025.

With the defensive end market booming, Hendrickson is looking for long-term security and a raise.

Watch the clip of Schultz discussing the latest on Hendrickson below:

Here’s the latest on where things stand between the #Bengals and Trey Hendrickson: The idea of a trade appears dead, and the Bengals would love to complete a sweep of paying all their key players.

(via @NFLonFOXPod)pic.twitter.com/UGmHOcY0rY
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) March 25, 2025