It’s no secret the Cincinnati Bengals need defensive help after missing the playoffs despite having the highest-scoring offense in the NFL, last season.
After locking up star wideouts, Ja’Marr Chase (four-year, $161 million) and Tee Higgins (four-year, $115 million) one-year after giving Joe Burrow a five-year, $275 million extension, the Bengals offense have been handsomely rewarded for their contributions over the last few seasons.
However, despite having one of the worst defenses in the league during that span, the Bengals have yet to extend one of their lone-bright spots on the defensive side of the ball in the form of this past season’s sack leader, Trey Hendrickson, who has a league-leading 35 sacks over the past two seasons.
In a prediction from Sports Illustrated’s Conor Orr, the Bengals will be able to convince their star pass rusher to return to the club by awarding him with a nice, new contract extension.
“The alternative is to become Haason Reddick, which, for a player entering his age-31 season, cannot be appetizing. By taking the Bengals’ reported current offer, Hendrickson can upgrade his salary by nearly $12 million and, while still being underpaid, improve upon his prospects for next offseason more by staying in Cincinnati than he could as a year-to-year mercenary for less on another roster.”
A potential deal for the reigning NFL sack-leader could be in the range of a four-year, $120 million extension, since the All-Pro pass rusher reportedly didn’t accept the club’s reported $28 million per year offer, earlier this month.
Hendrickson, who’ll turn 31 in December, led the NFL in sacks (17.5) in 2024-2025. During the prior season, Hendrickson had another 17.5 sack season and has 77 over the course of his 81 starts in his career with the Saints and Bengals.
