One day after going public with his discontent with the Bengals, Trey Hendrickson showed up to Cincinnati's team facility.
While Hendrickson did not participate in offseason workouts on Tuesday, it seems as if he made the appearance to give himself an opportunity to continue in his crusade for a new contract -- and to set the record as straight as possible, at least from his perspective.
Hendrickson told reporters on Tuesday that he would not play this season on his current contract, which was the lone answer in his 25-minute media session that he kept succinct, per The Athletic. Hendrickson is set to make $15.8 million in base salary this season on the final year of his deal.
He also said on Tuesday that he was informed via text from Bengals head coach Zac Taylor roughly one month before the Bengals' mandatory minicamp (June 10-12) that he'd be fined if he didn't show up, which Hendrickson said "alludes to the fact that something won't get done in that time frame."
"And that, with the lack of communication post-draft, made it evidently clear for my party, meaning my wife, my son, my agent, right, like we're talking a small group of people, that I had to inform that this might not work out," Hendrickson continued. "And that's unfortunate, I don't think it was necessary, I think we all should have hoped for the best until proved otherwise, but through that other things have transpired, like the importance of me being here in OTAs doesn't seem to be respected, and I think I've carried a lot of respect. I don't mean to insinuate anything about anyone's character, but that was disappointing."
So, will Hendrickson show up for minicamp? Hendrickson wouldn't offer a concrete answer because he's still holding out hope the Bengals meet him somewhere near the middle.
"I don't have predictive analysis, I've been hoping for the best through this entire process," Hendrickson said. "The only thing that alluded to fines in my book was the text I got yesterday from Zac. That was the first time that -- I knew fines are there, we clearly saw that on multiple fronts since I've been here, so fines are a part of the NFL, right? We'll take them as they come, I thought this was a little early to talk about fines, personally, with how I've conducted myself in protecting the organization, the place that's provided for my family, and play football in the National Football League."
Clearly, Hendrickson is frustrated by a feeling that he's not being shown the same amount of respect and appreciation he's given to the Bengals in the form of effort, dedication and production. That seems to be the motivation behind going public with his sentiments and making the effort to meet with reporters during Tuesday's session. At minimum, he's receiving an opportunity to vent, especially after receiving a text threatening fines -- an expectation that's already baked into the collective bargaining agreement between clubs and players.
"I think a lot of players in the past have been silent or didn't stand on values, where telling the truth will set you free," Hendrickson said. "It's a value my parents raised me with when I was young, as a follower of Christ, the truth is the way, and so to have these tough conversations, and say the truth, right?
"I'm a Floridian, so there's unprovoked shark attacks, and there's provoked shark attacks. And the comments that are being made, whatever happened at the combine, whatever happened at the owner's meetings, and the text I got yesterday, this is not something where I'm just twiddling my thumbs, thinking 'Oh how can I get the next one-up?' Most of the teammates will agree, I don't spare my opinions, I kind of stay out of the media for that reason because I am an emotional player, and after a loss it's a lot harder to talk than after a win, especially in the circumstances that we had last season, so I carry it with a tremendous amount of respect. But these things are provoked.
"I would love to say that to sit quiet is a good strategy; it's clearly not. Players have done it all over the league, including Ja’Marr (Chase) last year. He did a great job being disciplined through the process, and great, I'm so proud of him and the way he handled adversity, I can't speak enough volumes, but he deserved a contract last year, he deserves it this year, and he deserves one in five years."
Chase received his contract after spending plenty of time in the spotlight, but that might have had a domino-like effect. After paying Chase and fellow wide receiver Tee Higgins, the Bengals don't seem as eager to do the same for the 2024 NFL sacks leader, Hendrickson, a free-agent acquisition who has outplayed the investment (and later extension) Cincinnati made in him in 2021.
"It's one of those things where we're not seeing eye-to-eye on the structure," Hendrickson said. "It seems that a shorter deal is something that they're pushing pretty hard. That puts us in the same place I was in 2022 where I have to renegotiate the next year because the goals are the same. If I'm playing at a better level than I did last year, then next year we're just kicking the can down the road."
Players have a very finite window of time to cash in on their performance. With 35 sacks to his name over the last two seasons, Hendrickson is squarely in position to capitalize financially. The Bengals -- owners of a defense that was disappointing enough to fire their coordinator after the 2024 season -- need players like Hendrickson to keep the unit from crumbling even more significantly in 2025.
Logically, the solution is simple: Pay Hendrickson and move forward. But the Bengals' apparent unwillingness to do so suggests they might have already spent themselves into a position in which they can't afford to properly reward a deserving standout like Hendrickson.
This -- plus their alleged unwillingness to communicate with Hendrickson -- has upset the 2024 first-team All-Pro and caused him to question whether he has the support of the club.
"That's a tough question too, because you try not to let the business become personal," Hendrickson said. "I think over the last week or so it's become personal, unfortunately. And when there's a lack of communication in any relationship, whether it's a business or personal relationship, lack of communication leads to animosity, and that leaves my narrative only to me with no clear direction.
"So the lack of direction, the lack of communication, is leading me to things that are allowing me to think about what's going to happen more than how great they have treated me over the last four years. Because let me say, I've said it to everyone, my son was born right up the road, my wife worked at the Cincinnati VA, this is my home. And I wrote that yesterday. It's home. And unfortunately for myself, I have to deal with that kind of dilemma in my own -- finding out business and personal. Because on the one hand you see OTAs and you smell grass and it's football, and man I'd be lying if I said I didn't love it. And on the other hand, there's a proper time for that, and there's a lot of things that I have to change before that happens."
As this continues to drag on, it gets uglier. Instead of simply paying Hendrickson, the Bengals might also need to mend fences with him just to make an extension possible. The animosity is brewing and could bubble over before long.
