For the Cincinnati Bengals, the time for talking is over. Trey Hendrickson is awaiting a new contract, and he’s looking for a deal similar to T.J. Watt’s.
Yesterday, T.J. Watt signed a three-year, $123 million deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers. In the next three seasons, Watt is set to make more in those three seasons than his brother, J.J. Watt made during his entire NFL career.
Hendrickson has been going back and forth with the Bengals for what feels like an eternity. The 30-year-old is the same age as Watt, though he fell two more rounds in the 2017 draft. Both are deserving of $100M+ contracts, as the Steelers delivered on their promise.
ESPN’s Ben Solak Predicts Trey Hendrickson Will be a Top-Three Highest-Paid Defensive Player
On a Bengals team where their defense is close to non-existent, there’s no situation where they can afford to lose Hendrickson. Solak’s prediction is a bold, but it’s one that makes sense if the Bengals front office wants a chance to make the playoffs. After his rookie deal on the New Orleans Saints, Cincinnati signed Hendrickson to a four-year, $60 million deal.
Set to make just $16M in 2025, Hendrickson has made it clear that’s not good enough. He’s made the Pro Bowl in each of his first three seasons on the Bengals. Not only that, but he was named First-team All Pro for the first time in 2024, as well as winning the Deacon Jones Award.
Solak commented, “Hendrickson seems to have more internal locker room support for a prolonged holdout than any other player I can remember. Everyone in a Bengals uniform knows he has carried that defense for a long time, and in no season was that more obvious than last year.”
How Hendrickson’s Contract Relates to Shemar Stewart
In his article, Solak predicted that the Bengals will finally give Shemar Stewart his rookie contract. He sees both contract situations being resolved, but it’s a tricky situation the Bengals have put themselves in.
“The Stewart situation feels tied to the Hendrickson situation,” Solak said. “If Hendrickson is holding out (or holding in, as that’s the method these days), then the Bengals will swiftly revert their rookie contract language and get Stewart practicing — they need him even more than they thought.”
Adding, “But what if the Hendrickson deal gets done before camp? I can see the Bengals “losing” the Hendrickson negotiation (i.e., paying him a bajillion dollars), and digging their heels in on the Stewart contract as a result.”
Hendrickson’s Deal Could Mirror T.J. Watt’s
The Bengals 6’4” 265 pound defensive end is not stupid. He’s well aware of the $161M Ja’Marr Chase received. He knows that Tee Higgins banked $115M as well. The Bengals don’t have the most money to spend, but the money is there.
At this point, it wouldn’t make any sense if the team decided not to go through with two key defensive signings. Stewart’s dilemma isn’t as big of a deal as securing Hendrickson, though it would be quite the situation if the team couldn’t lock up their first round pick.
The longer the Bengals wait, the worse the situation is getting. Now that Watt signed his contract, Hendrickson is going to want the same, if not more. After all, he finished with six more sacks than the Steelers defensive star last season.
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