Trey Hendrickson's Free Agency Takes Wild Turn With Reported $10 Million Salary Gap

The Cincinnati Bengals opened the early tampering period with a bang by agreeing to deals with Kansas City Chiefs safety Bryan Cook and Seattle Seahawks edge rusher Boye Mafe. Both players will slot into the starting lineup on defense and have the chance to be anchors going forward.

But the Bengals have already lost Joseph Ossai. They're likely going to lose Trey Hendrickson, too. The front office needs to continue making moves to add weapons on the defensive side of the football.

Speaking of Hendrickson, his free agency hasn't gotten off to the hot start that many were expecting. NFL insider Jonathan Jones recently reported that more teams should be getting in on his market the longer he sits in free agency.

"Teams that weren't in on Trey Hendrickson may get in on him as time goes on and his price aligns more with where the market views him," Jones wrote in a post to Twitter/X on Tuesday morning.

Trey Hendrickson Struggling To Get Money He Wants In Free Agency

Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson (91) is double-teamed by Green Bay Packers center Elgton Jenkins (74) and guard Aaron Banks (65) during the second quarter of their game Sunday, October 12, 2025 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. | Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Hendrickson isn't sitting on the open market because nobody wants him. He's sitting on the open market because nobody is willing to pay him the money he feels like he's worth. Jones reported that the pay gap between Hendrickson's asking price and what teams are willing to pay him is around $10 million per year.

"As of this morning there were teams I spoke with who said the gap between what he wanted and what they were willing to pay was close to $10M per year," Jones wrote in a post to Twitter/X on Tuesday morning.

A gap in pay this big is drastic. That means that Hendrickson is likely asking for well over $30 million per year. Hendrickson is likely being offered around $25 million to $27 million per year, which means he could be asking for around $35 million per year.

Last summer, The Athletic's Dianna Russini reported Hendrickson turned down a three-year, $95 million deal to stay with Cincinnati. It did not include guaranteed money into the second season. He ultimately accepted a one-year reworking of his contract at $29 million.

This situation is trending in the wrong direction for Hendrickson as we get deeper and deeper in Day Two of the legal tampering period.

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