Roughly a week removed from the very public exchange between the Cincinnati Bengals and star defensive end Trey Hendrickson during the messy contract dispute, an insider has offered his take on the same show.
Appearing on Pat McAfee’s show to start the week, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport again stressed the point that the Bengals want to work something out with Hendrickson.
"I believe the Bengals would like to keep and pay Trey Hendrickson,” Rapoport said. “We'll see if that happens and I still think that it's very possible"
The week prior, Bengals brass commented publicly on the Hendrickson situation at NFL league meetings, which prompted Hendrickson to hop on McAfee’s show and stress his disappointment over poor communication from the team.
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Regardless of the public posturing from both sides of the standoff, there doesn’t figure to be a solution on this front for the foreseeable future, as there’s no deadline to get a new contract done – barring the team seeking to trade him during the draft.
Otherwise, the Bengals have most of the leverage after granting Hendrickson permission to seek a trade and nothing materializing on that front while he’s still under contract for one more season.
"I believe the Bengals would like to keep and pay Trey Hendrickson..
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) April 7, 2025
We'll see if that happens and I still think that it's very possible" ~ @RapSheet#PMSLivehttps://t.co/SMzJL6huvbpic.twitter.com/o7qxmO2XLQ