The Cincinnati Bengals are keeping one of their key players, agreeing to a one-year, $30 million deal with All-Pro defensive end Trey Hendrickson, per multiple reports. Hendrickson can still become a free agent next offseason.
Hendrickson and the Bengals were in a contract dispute for virtually the entire offseason, with Cincinnati allowing him to talk to other teams about a potential trade at one point. However, no deal came to fruition, and Hendrickson wound up being a hold-in for much of training camp.
Rumors of a possible trade surrounding Hendrickson continued to swirl well into training camp and the preseason.
Prior to Monday, Hendrickson was initially owed $16 million for the final year of his contract, which was a relatively measly amount considering how much other top edge rushers were paid this offseason. T.J. Watt became the latest to earn a rich deal at the position, agreeing to a three-year, $123 million ($41 million per year) deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason. Micah Parsons seems like a possibility to break that mark as well, but he’s also in a contract dispute with his team and requested a trade from the Dallas Cowboys earlier in August.
Hendrickson, who racked up an NFL-leading 17.5 sacks last season, is the third member of the Bengals to get a huge pay raise this offseason. In March, Cincinnati signed wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to record deals.
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Additionally, Hendrickson has also been good at generating pressure. He had 83 pressures and was second in pass rush win rate last season (24%). He has also finished in the top 10 in pass rush win rate among edge rushers in all four years he’s been with the Bengals.
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