Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson has requested a trade, a team source confirmed Wednesday. ESPN first reported the news.
However, the Bengals have zero intention of trading the three-time Pro Bowler, the team source said. They are looking to win the Super Bowl in 2024 and not deal stars.
Cincinnati hoped to avoid any consternation by doing the Hendrickson deal last year and the expectations are he will honor that deal, no matter what public requests are made.
The tone has been much the same with Tee Higgins, who also requested a trade from the Bengals this offseason that they don’t intend to grant.
I can confirm Trey Hendrickson has requested a trade, as @AdamSchefter reported.
I can also confirm the #Bengals have zero interest in dealing him and don’t intend to do so.
Just as with Tee Higgins, they are trying to win the Super Bowl this year, not deal 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 of Hendrickson’s contract. They gave him a $5 million raise for 2023 and added a year at $16 million to his contract. It locked him in with the club through 2025.
They hoped to add comfort and a sense of security for their premier pass rusher who outplayed the original four-year, $60 million deal he signed with the club in the 2020-21 free agency period.
The fact Hendrickson, 29, comes back a year later requesting a trade one day before the draft shows a desire to be paid more in line with the likes of the top 10 edge rushers (all +$22M 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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