Four years after Trey Hendrickson first signed with the Cincinnati Bengals, he's established himself as an elite defensive end in the NFL. He's still waiting to be paid like one by the Bengals, but his standing among the league's best has been further confirmed via ESPN's top 10 edge rushers as voted on by NFL executives, scouts, and coaches.
Hendrickson ended up at No. 6 in the rankings, behind Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns, T.J. Watt of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Micah Parsons of the Dallas Cowboys, Maxx Crosby of the Las Vegas Raiders, and Nick Bosa of the San Francisco 49ers.
The commonality with all those names? They're either compensated accordingly, or they're set to be.
Garrett earned a new deal worth $40 million per year back in March. Crosby agreed to terms on a $35.5 million per year deal four days earlier. Bosa was the first to reset the market at $34 million per year in 2023.
Watt and Parsons are waiting alongside Hendrickson to get paid somewhere in this range, or even above it. Watt is entering the last year of his deal that paid him $28,002,750 per year, and Parsons has just the fifth-year option left on his rookie contract.
Cincinnati is attempting to give Hendrickson a deserved raise, but the two sides have not come close in terms of an agreement. Hendrickson wants long-term security in the form of contract length and guaranteed money. The Bengals have tried to add on just one more year to the 30-year old's current one-year, $21 million deal.
Neither side is interested in resetting the market, and based on how voters ranked Hendrickson, that appears to be the correct play.
That said, Hendrickson's game absolutely works and is properly respected from those in league circles.
Some voters believe Hendrickson does not possess the same high-end traits as those in the top tier. But he's so wildly productive that they can't hate on him. — ESPN's Jeremy Fowler
His ability to get to the quarterback by any means necessary is truly impressive. He can beat you with technique and relentless motor. — AFC scout on Hendrickson
He's probably taken for granted a little bit. Elite player all the way. — NFL personnel evaluator on Hendrickson
The market for a top-six edge rusher is a lot stronger than the money Hendrickson would earn this season, which is why he's threatening to sit out regular season games if he does not agree to a new deal.
Bengals training camp begins in exactly two weeks. It would be ideal to get Hendrickson signed before he's expected to take the practice field.
