There is some uncertainty surrounding the Cincinnati Bengals following the lost season that was their 2023 campaign.
Star wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins are looking for contract extensions, and the team likely cannot afford to extend both of them, which has led to rumors they may trade Higgins.
On Wednesday, that uncertainty compounded when, per Adam Schefter, star defensive end Trey Hendrickson asked to be traded.
Bengals three-time Pro-Bowl DE Trey Hendrickson has requested to be traded from Cincinnati, per league source. Hendrickson is due to make $15 million this season, and is looking for more long-term security than Cincinnati has been willing to offer. pic.twitter.com/PDNKTEiKII
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 24, 2024
Hendrickson isn’t far off from needing an extension of his own, as his current contract will end following the 2025 season.
He is one of the NFL’s best yet more underrated pass rushers, and last year, he posted 17.5 sacks, 25 quarterback hits, and 16 tackles for loss, which earned him a spot in the Pro Bowl for the third straight season.
If the Bengals are to cave in and trade Hendrickson rather than give him the type of extension he’s asking for, they will likely take a step back.
They have been considered one of the league’s elite teams over the last three years thanks to Hendrickson, Chase, Higgins, and quarterback Joe Burrow, and of course, they reached the Super Bowl at the end of the 2021 season, only to narrowly lose to the Los Angeles Rams.
Cincinnati already lost a key piece this offseason when running back Joe Mixon, who was a Pro Bowler in 2021, was traded to the fast-rising Houston Texans for a seventh-round pick in the upcoming NFL Draft.
The AFC North looks like the best division in football, as the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens have both improved, so even if Hendrickson stays put, the Bengals will have an uphill climb back to title contention.
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