The Cincinnati Bengals and Trey Hendrickson can’t agree.
On what exactly? Well, seems like just about anything.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter went on The Pat McAfee Show on Wednesday to provide the latest update on the situation, and it’s not good.
“The Bengals & Trey Hendrickson are talking again but they’re not any further along,” Schefter said. “I think there’s a disagreement over value & there’s also a disagreement over the length of the deal… They can’t even find common ground on the length of the deal.”
Can they agree on anything?
Hendrickson is due to make $16 million in 2025. He’s not going to play at that number.
He’s coming off back-to-back 17.5-sack seasons. He’s the most important defender on a team devoid of talented defenders.
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The Bengals reportedly offered Hendrickson in the neighborhood of $28 million per year, but that’s still $7 million AAV off of Maxx Crosby and Nick Bosa.
Cincinnati is also reportedly not inclined to guarantee multiple years of the deal, which is something any other pass rusher of Hendrickson’s caliber wouldn’t have to deal with in their own negotiations with other teams.
This seems like a serious impasse. It’s not obvious what could change minds here.
But it seems like the Bengals are taking a huge risk. They can’t afford to waste another year of Joe Burrow brilliance by having a putrid defense, but especially without Hendrickson, that could be what they’d be facing.
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