The Cincinnati Bengals have yet to reach a deal with Trey Hendrickson after signing both Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to huge contracts. It’s unclear how the situation will pan out, as the front office did give the 30-year-old edge rusher permission to seek a trade. However, rumors suggest that there are two reasons why the Bengals have yet to trade Hendrickson.
During a segment on “The Insiders” Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network shared two possible reasons why a trade hasn’t come to fruition yet. He claims the Bengals are asking for a first-round pick in return, which could be viewed as too much value for opposing franchises to give up. He also revealed that the front office does not want to trade Hendrickson at this time.
“The Bengals are gonna demand a lot, probably even a first-round draft pick to trade Trey Hendrickson. That deal has not come about. They have tried, plenty of people have talked, [and] there’s been for sure interest, that trade has not happened yet, in part because the Bengals don’t really want to trade him.”
From The Insiders on @NFLNetwork: Making sense of #Bengals drama, after Katie Blackburn spoke to local reporters and Trey Hendrickson responded on @PatMcAfeeShow about his contract situation. pic.twitter.com/gv5sJ27z16
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 2, 2025
Trade rumors regarding Hendrickson and the Bengals have been kept quiet, as there are virtually no reports of any teams making any strong offers. Rapoport’s claim about Cincinnati’s trade demands likely holds, as most teams in the league are likely wanting to keep their draft picks at this point. The NFL Draft takes place in late April and teams are still finalizing their draft boards.
Bengals Vice President Katie Blackburn recently made some comments about the contract negotiations that rubbed the 2024 sack leader the wrong way. Trey Hendrickson voiced frustrations about the organization during a guest appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Wednesday. Hendrickson was critical of Cincinnati’s “poor communication” and felt “disappointed” in Blackburn’s comments.
Hendrickson put up career numbers for the Bengals last season and proved to be one of the more dominant edge rushers in the league. He finished the 2024 campaign with 46 combined tackles (33 solo), 36 quarterback hits, 17.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles.
The rumor mill will likely remain hot throughout the offseason until the Bengals either trade Trey Hendrickson or give him the contract he desires.
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