It’s officially the start of NFL training camp and Cincinnati Bengals‘ owner Mike Brown is excited to get the team back together and ready for a Super Bowl run in 2025. He was probably less excited about having to sit down with the media to talk about the disgruntled players he has mired in contract standoffs.
While noting his reticence to guarantee portions of first-round pick Shemar Stewart‘s contract because he “could be in jail,” he also found some time to discuss defensive end Trey Hendrickson. Hendrickson, of course, has been a public spat with the team as he enters the final year of a deal that will pay him roughly $16 million this season.
For what it’s worth, Brown said he’s optimistic that they will figure something out with last year’s NFL sack leader.
“It’s been a long negotiation. Trey Hendrickson is a fine player. He’s a good guy. We want him here,” Brown said, via the Cincinnati Enquirer. “Dealing with him is sometimes not so easy, and that’s all right. He’s got the right to argue his case. We’ll try to make sense of it from our perspective. We’ll see. I’m not persuaded that it isn’t going to get done. As far as I’m concerned, the sooner the better.”
Does Brown think Trey Hendrickson deserves a pay bump?
The 30-year old Hendrickson had 17.5 sacks last year and another 17.5 in 2023. As NFL.com notes, “he’s one of five players to have 17-plus sacks in back-to-back seasons all-time (since 1982),” writes Kevin Patra. “Others: Reggie White (Hall of Famer), Richard Dent (Hall of Famer), J.J. Watt, Mark Gastineau.”
*For history nerds (me), Hendrickson had 1/2 sack more last year than Norm “Madman” Willey had “sacks” in an entire game back in 1952. Yes, you read that right.
Brown was asked if he thought that Hendrickson’s production deserved a pay raise.
“We offered him one, but keep in mind, Trey is signed for this season,” Brown said. “Foolishly maybe, we offered him one, a raise. But anyway, he deserves a raise, he did well, and he played effectively. He’s important to us.”
Most would understand that Brown and the Bengals offered him a new contract, but those same people would also love to know what the annual average was on that deal. If it’s not in the mid-30 millions, this deal likely won’t get done.
Brown also discussed Shemar Stewart’s holdout
Stewart, the No. 17-overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft out of Texas A&M, is the last unsigned first-round pick in the entire league. This isn’t new territory for the Bengals, it goes back to defensive end Justin Smith in 2001 and offensive tackle Andre Smith in 2009. Contract disputes are nothing new for Cincy.
Despite the holdout, Brown is thinks he’ll get him signed “at some point.”
“It’s a very peculiar thing, it isn’t about money. That’s been agreed to for months,” Brown said, via the Associated Press. “It is a negotiation that has reached the level of, I can only think of a word I shouldn’t use here, but it’s silliness. We’ll have to wait until we get a better result. I think eventually that’s going to happen. I don’t think it’s going to happen today or tomorrow, but at some point it will.”
The 25th-ranked defense in the NFL in 2024 could certainly use the assistance of both Hendrickson and Stewart. As to when they’ll get that help is anyone’s guess.
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