Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson has reportedly requested a trade, joining Jonah Williams and Tee Higgins as the third starting player in Cincinnati to request off the team in the last 13 months. Williams didn’t get his request and neither has Higgins to this point. The odds of Hendrickson being the exception are slim to none, but that didn’t stop his camp from attempting to strong-arm a team that is, historically, very tough to strong-arm.
Hendrickson is due to make $15 million this season, and is looking for more long-term security than Cincinnati has been willing to offer.
The Bengals have proven time and time again to not budge in the face of a disgruntled player. The contracts they negotiate for give them all the leverage as minimal guarantees require players to earn their future salaries. Hendrickson actually recently agreed to one of these contracts. He signed a one-year extension last summer that bumped his pay and keeps him under roster control through the 2025 season.
If the Bengals aren’t in the business of trading Higgins on the franchise tag, which they aren’t, they certainly aren’t in the business of trading a player they extended nine months ago.
Why Hendrickson or his camp believes they have a case to do what very few Bengals have been able to do before is beyond me, but the timing of it speaks to this being an issue that isn’t brand new. Hendrickson’s camp leaking this report right before the draft is supposed to pressure the Bengals into taking an NFL Draft day trade this weekend.
The 29-year old has made three consecutive Pro Bowls and is one of the more productive pass rushers in the NFL. He certainly has value attached to his name. So does Higgins, and the Bengals haven’t budged with him, either.
What could actually move the needle, however, is if Hendrickson threatens retirement. Cincinnati.com’s Kelsey Conway reports that per Hendrickson’s agent, Harold Lewis, Hendrickson is considering retirement.
Hendrickson retiring under contract would match a precedent for a past Bengals trade. Carson Palmer threatened the very same in 2011 and ended up nearly following through. Cincinnati drafted his replacement that spring in Andy Dalton, and Palmer didn’t show up for training camp. He was placed on the reserve/did not report list, and that was that. When the season was in full swing in October, the Bengals found a trade partner for the inactive Palmer. They received a 2012 first round pick and a 2013 second round pick from the Oakland Raiders for their former franchise QB after already successfully replacing him.
Palmer actually had to sit out games for the Bengals to deal him away months after taking his stance. Is Hendrickson willing to do the same?
There’s reason to believe he won’t. For starters, Hendrickson’s main gripe is he wants more long-term security despite already agreeing to a one-year extension last year. Publicly contemplating retirement is not the greatest message to send to other teams when also asking for a long-term commitment.
Hendrickson is also not a quarterback, so the odds of him recouping the money he lost as a defensive lineman pushing 30 years old are not so great.
It’s a very confusing situation that, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, has been going on for a long time. It’s possible that Hendrickson signed his one-year extension last year with the knowledge that both sides would renegotiate this offseason, but that’s entirely speculative. If his stance was to receive a greater commitment, he shouldn’t have signed the extension in the first place.
The Bengals do not budge in these situations, and by signing an extension not even a full 12 months ago, Hendrickson’s trade request is destined to turn out exactly the ones Williams and Higgins submitted.
