Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson has requested a trade, a team source confirmed Wednesday. It was ESPN who first announced the news.
However, the Bengals have no intention of trading the three-time Pro Bowler, the team source said. They are looking to win the Super Bowl in 2024, not sell stars.
Hendrickson and the team met in March to try to extend his contract, but discussions made no progress, a league source said. Hendrickson’s trade request comes after the Bengals told him they have no plans to do anything new with his contract this year.
The team told Hendrickson it had no plans to trade him, according to the league source. He has trained alone at the team facility, but has not participated in voluntary team workouts and likely won’t for the foreseeable future.
Cincinnati hoped to avoid any consternation by reaching the Hendrickson deal last year and is expected to honor that agreement regardless of public demands made.
The tone has been much the same with Tee Higgins, who also requested a trade from the Bengals this offseason that they have no intention of granting.
I can confirm that Trey Hendrickson requested a trade, because @AdamSchefter reported.
I can also confirm the #Bengals have no interest in doing business with him and do not intend to do so.
Just like Tee Higgins, they’re trying to win the Super Bowl this year, not sell stars.
– Paul Dehner Jr. (@pauldehnerjr) April 24, 2024
A third-round pick by New Orleans in the 2017 NFL Draft, Hendrickson spent the first four years of his career with the Saints before joining the Bengals in 2021. Last season, he recorded a career-high 43 total tackles and 17 1/2. sacks, earning first-team All-Pro honors.
Last summer, the Bengals agreed to a one-year extension on Hendrickson’s contract. They gave him a $5 million raise for 2023 and added a year at $16 million to his contract. This locked him in with the club until 2025.
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They hoped to add comfort and a sense of security to their starting pass rusher who surpassed the initial four-year, $60 million contract he signed with the club during the 2020-21 free agency period.
The fact that the 29-year-old Hendrickson came back a year later to request a trade a day before the draft shows his desire to be paid more, like the top 10 Edge Rushers (all +$22 million per year) where his production has lived. . Instead, he will collect $31 million in cash over the next two seasons combined.
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(Photo: Cooper Neill/Getty Images)