Agent’s Take: How Trey Hendrickson and Bengals can find common ground to keep star pass rusher in Cincinnati

The contract dispute between the Cincinnati Bengals and Trey Hendrickson took a mistaken activate Tuesday when the All-Professional edge rusher did not report back to coaching camp with the remainder of the workforce’s veteran gamers. As a substitute, Hendrickson left Cincinnati to return to his house in Jacksonville, Florida. 

Bengals president Mike Brown had expressed confidence that an settlement could possibly be reached on the workforce’s annual media luncheon on Monday. “I feel we’re in a great place. I hope this factor comes collectively quickly, and I’ll depart it at that,” Brown mentioned.

Hendrickson painted a unique image about negotiations on Tuesday. In keeping with NFL Community analyst Manti Te’o, who spoke to Hendrickson, his former teammate with the New Orleans Saints referred to as the Bengals’ newest gives, particularly the ensures, “atrociously, atrociously low.” Dianna Russini of The Athletic received from Hendrickson that he had been prepared to take much less in some methods in an effort to get a deal accomplished.

Hendrickson has been adamant that he will not play for the Bengals in 2025 beneath his present contract. The 2024 NFL Defensive Participant of the 12 months runner-up is in a contract yr. Hendrickson is scheduled to make $16 million in 2025 on an $18,666,668 cap quantity. The $16 million consists of a $15.8 million base wage and $200,000 of per-game roster bonuses ($11,764.70 for every recreation energetic).

Hendrickson did not attend Cincinnati’s voluntary offseason exercises due to dissatisfaction together with his contract. He subjected himself to a $104,768 superb by skipping the three-day necessary minicamp held in June. Hendrickson will probably be fined $50,000 for every day of coaching camp he misses. As a participant on a veteran contract, this each day superb is necessary and cannot be lowered or waived by the Bengals.

It should not be too tough to interrupt the contract deadlock after T.J. Watt grew to become the most recent knowledge level in an escalating go rusher market. The Pittsburgh Steelers simply made Watt the NFL’s highest-paid non-quarterback at $41 million per yr forward of Bengals broad receiver Ja’Marr Chase, who signed a four-year, $161 million contract extension, averaging $40.25 million per yr, in March. Watt’s three-year, $123 million extension has a non-quarterback report $108 million absolutely assured at signing. 

Though Hendrickson is not seeking to exchange Watt because the NFL’s highest-paid edge rusher, it might be a justifiable place for him to take given he has been extra productive than Watt during the last two years. Hendrickson’s 35 sacks for the reason that begin of the 2023 common season are the NFL’s most. Watt’s 30.5 sacks throughout this span are second. 

Along with a league-high 17.5 sacks in 2024, Hendrickson’s 83 quarterback pressures (mixed quarterback sacks, quarterback hits and quarterback hurries) tied for the NFL lead with Cleveland Browns perennial All-Professional edge rusher Myles Garrett, in response to Professional Soccer Focus. Hendrickson additionally accounted for 48.6% of Cincinnati’s sacks final season whereas Watt was chargeable for 28.8% of Pittsburgh’s. Hendrickson’s 162 quarterback pressures during the last two seasons are 23 greater than Watt’s 139. 

The Bengals should have no subject doing a three-year extension to match Watt’s contract size. Hendrickson, who turns 31 in December, is about two months youthful than Watt. The present non-QB wage chief will probably be 31 in October. 

Hendrickson is not exhibiting any indicators of slowing down. His best NFL seasons have been his final two.

This yr’s escalation of the sting rusher market can be utilized as a information for Hendrickson’s new deal. The primary knowledge level was the Las Vegas Raiders signing Maxx Crosby to a three-year, $106.5 million extension, averaging $35.5 million per yr, in March. The ink was barely dry on Crosby’s deal when Garrett grew to become the NFL’s first $40 million-per-year non-quarterback lower than every week later. The 2023 NFL Defensive Participant of the 12 months signed a four-year, $160 million extension. Garrett’s deal has a non-quarterback report of $123,596,125 in general ensures the place $88.8 million is absolutely assured at signing.

Shortly thereafter, Danielle Hunter additionally benefitted from the altering edge rusher wage panorama. The Houston Texans prolonged the two-year, $49 million contract (value to $51 million by incentives) he signed in 2024 free company by one yr for $35.6 million to maintain him within the fold by the 2026 season.

Collectively, Crosby, Garrett, Hunter and Watt have signed extensions with $425.1 million of latest cash for 11 new contract years. These offers common $38,645,455 per yr. Approximating this quantity could be a good worth for a three-year Hendrickson extension. 

Wage ensures are a giant sticking level for Hendrickson, in response to a number of experiences. The Bengals aren’t prepared to ensure cash past the primary contract yr. Watt’s first three contract years (2025 by 2027) are absolutely assured. Garrett’s first two years are absolutely assured with a majority of the cash within the third yr (2027) fully safe upon execution. Excluding Crosby’s per-game roster bonuses, his first two years are absolutely assured. Crosby’s contract ensures run out after the third yr. 

Hendrickson wanting his contract structured in an analogous method is not an unreasonable request. A complicating issue is the Bengals hadn’t given conventional wage ensures to a non-quarterback till Chase. He has $73.9 million absolutely assured at signing, which is his first two years minus his per-game roster bonuses. There are $109.8 million in whole ensures that reach into 2028, the fourth yr of Chase’s deal.

The Bengals additionally made a small exception this yr with wage ensures for Tee Higgins, Chase’s counterpart at broad receiver. The four-year, $115 million deal (value to up $121.8 million by incentives) that made Higgins the NFL’s highest-paid No. 2 broad receiver at $28.75 million per yr has a small quantity assured in Higgins’ second yr. Higgins’ $10 million fifth day of the 2026 league yr roster bonus due subsequent March 15 grew to become absolutely assured 5 days after he signed his deal. Higgins’ contract has a complete of $30 million in ensures.

Chase specifically seemingly made a cash-flow tradeoff to get conventional wage ensures. His cash-flow percentages after every contract yr pale compared to Justin Jefferson’s and CeeDee Lamb’s percentages of their respective four-year extensions with the Minnesota Vikings and Dallas Cowboys. Jefferson and Lamb are second and third on the broad receiver pay scale.

Chase’s deal averages $38.728 million after his third new contract yr as a result of there’s $44.816 million in 2029, the ultimate yr of his extension. In contrast, the common after the third new contract yr with each Jefferson and Lamb is greater than the common of their offers. Presumably, the Bengals would insist on Hendrickson’s contract being considerably backloaded with underwhelming money movement if prepared to make the second yr of 2026 absolutely assured.

Usually, the one assured cash in Cincinnati veteran contracts is a signing bonus and/or a roster bonus payable inside a couple of days of signing. The larger offers include an unsecured third or fifth day of the league yr roster bonus within the second and third years. These roster bonuses are purported to be substitutes for added contract ensures. The general ensures in Cincinnati contracts are lower than comparable offers on different groups. 

Going this route might make sense for Hendrickson supplied the Bengals give him the identical sort of player-friendly money as of their most profitable three-year offers or extensions. The Bengals have accomplished three such contracts, averaging over $10 million per yr. The primary was with linebacker Vontaze Burfict ($11.078 million common per yr) in 2017. Edge rusher Carlos Dunlap ($13.5 million common per yr) received a three-year extension, like Burfict in 2018. Cornerback Trae Waynes ($14 million common per yr) was signed in 2020 free company.

The cash-flow percentages for these three offers are within the following chart.

Based mostly on Chase’s deal, Hendrickson would seemingly have within the neighborhood of 15%, 35% and 65%, respectively, after the present yr (2025), the primary new yr (2026) and the second new yr (2027) with him getting the kind of ensures he wishes. By comparability, Watt is at 18.66%, 44.67% and 70.69%, respectively. That is very robust money movement when bearing in mind the quantity of Watt’s ensures.

Establishing a brand new report in upfront cash for a non-quarterback could be a necessity. San Francisco 49ers edge rusher Nick Bosa’s $50 million signing bonus is the present benchmark. A major choice bonus or fifth day of the league yr roster bonus in 2026 could be required. Cincinnati has been structuring contracts with choice bonuses just lately. There could be a considerable fifth day of the league yr roster bonus in 2027 as nicely. 

The choice bonus could be higher for Hendrickson as a result of it is prorated, similar to the signing bonus or the first-year roster bonus on this case, starting within the yr the choice is exercised, which might be 2026. The extra proration from the choice bonus would assist act as a deterrent in opposition to Hendrickson getting launched early.

Taking all the elements mentioned into consideration, a good Hendrickson contract could be as follows:

• Size: Three-year extension
• Common yearly wage: $38.5 million
• New cash whole: $115.5 million ($131.5 million over 4 Years)
• General contract ensures: $51 million
• Totally assured at signing: $51 million 
• New cash in current yr (2025): $36.5 million (31.6%)
• New cash by first new yr (2026): $59 million (51.08%)
• New cash by first two new years (2027): $84 million (72.73%)

The Bengals would not be requested to set any new workforce contractual precedents with any such deal for Hendrickson. The cash-flow percentages are per the Burfict, Dunlap and Waynes offers. 

Report upfront cash is not a overseas idea for the Bengals. Orlando Brown Jr.’s $31.1 million roster bonus on the day of his contract’s execution within the four-year, $64.092 million deal, averaging $16.023 million per yr, he acquired from the Bengals in 2023 as an unrestricted free agent is essentially the most upfront cash ever given to an offensive lineman.

There could be $52.5 million of whole money within the first yr consisting of a $51 million roster bonus, Hendrickson’s $1.3 million base wage and the $200,000 in per-game roster bonuses. The $51 million 2025 roster bonus could be prorated at $12.75 million yearly by 2028. With the inclusion of a voiding/dummy 2029 contract yr, the annual proration would drop to $10.2 million. 

Half of Brown’s $31.1 million roster bonus was paid inside 15 days of execution with the remaining $15.5 million paid in equal weekly installments through the 2023 common season. This sort of cost schedule needs to be enough for Hendrickson’s $51 million.

Hendrickson would have $75 million within the first two contract years operating by 2026. Out of the $22.5 million in 2026, $15 million could be both an choice bonus or a fifth day of the 2026 league yr roster bonus. There could be $100 million in money after the primary three contract years. The 2027 contract yr, with a complete of $25 million, would include one other $15 million fifth day of the league yr roster bonus.

Hendrickson must have one among most beautiful regressions in NFL historical past to be launched after the 2025 season. He would have gotten an additional $36.5 million with out enjoying any of the brand new contract years. In essence, Hendrickson could be just about assured of $75 million regardless of the shortage of safety relative to the opposite highest-paid edge rushers supplied he was on the roster subsequent March 15. The Bengals would not launch Hendrickson after being on the hook for two-thirds of his 2026 compensation as both a roster bonus or choice bonus.

The primary time Hendrickson would realistically be in jeopardy is 2027. The Bengals could be compelled to make an early resolution on him due to the $15 million March roster bonus. Getting launched after the 2026 season could be the equal of signing a one-year extension for $59 million.

Hendrickson could be $8.5 million forward of Watt’s $44 million of money within the first yr. Watt would have Hendrickson by $1 million with $76 million by 2026, the second yr. The hole would widen in 2027 with Watt having $8 million extra in cumulative money.

Something beneath this common yearly wage for fewer than three new contract years needs to be thought of as a negotiation win by the Bengals given Hendrickson’s productiveness and the present offers on the prime of the sting rusher market. Hopefully, the scenario does not change into any extra acrimonious than it already is and the 2 sides can shortly bridge their variations. Permitting for added modifications to the go rusher market with Micah Parsons and probably Aidan Hutchinson getting contract extensions from the Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions would solely compound the issue and certain additional persuade Hendrickson that he’s being extraordinarily affordable in his contract calls for.