Brown Rival, Bengals Could Be Poised To Lose Top Pass Rusher Trey Hendrickson

It's been a largely quiet, drama free offseason for Ohio's Northern football franchise, the Cleveland Browns. Five hours south down I-71 there appears to be some trouble in paradise for Cleveland's in-state rival the Cincinnati Bengals.

On Wednesday, Cincy's top pass rusher Trey Hendrickson became the latest Bengals star to request a trade out of town. According to reports close to the situation, Hendrickson is looking for more long-term stability in regards to his contract situation. The 30-year-old is due to make $15 million next season in base salary and a $200k roster bonus.

Bengals three-time Pro-Bowl DE Trey Hendrickson has requested to be traded from Cincinnati, per league source. Hendrickson is due to make $15 million this season, and is looking for more long-term security than Cincinnati has been willing to offer. pic.twitter.com/PDNKTEiKII
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 24, 2024

He's in the second to last year with the franchise after signing a one-year extension last summer to originally stay with the franchise through 2025. Now that sentiment has seemed to change as Hendrickson wants out of Cincinnati.

In terms of average annual value, Hendrickson's deal ranks sixth among his pass rushing peers, but in terms of total cash he'' earn specifically in 2024, he ranks ninth. Hendrickson is fresh off of a 17.5 sack campaign where he broke the franchise record for sacks in a single season that he originally set in 2021 (14). That figure was the second highest in the NFL last season behind only T.J. Watt of the Steelers.

Over the course of the last three seasons, Hendrickson has established himself as one of the most consistent pass rushing threats in the league. Over that span he's played in 48 games for the Bengals and racked up 39.5 sacks, 109 total tackles, 16 for a loss, 25 QB hits and forced nine fumbles.

Hendrickson is the second star player to demand a trade over their current contract situation in Cincinnati this offseason. Back in March, No. 2 wideout Tee Higgins asked to be moved after he and the team couldn't come to terms on a new long-term deal. Higgins recently conceded that he expects to be back with the Bengals next season. That means he'll likely play out the 2024 campaign on the franchise tag, worth upwards of $21.8 million.

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