Texans star Danielle Hunter agreed to a one-year, $35.6 million extension that makes him the NFL's second-highest paid defensive end according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
Hunter gets a $12.5 million raise and will make $32 million in 2025. That means he's under contract for the next two seasons and will make $55.1 million over that span with $54.1 million guaranteed.
This could set a bench mark for Trey Hendrickson's contract stalemate with the Bengals. Cincinnati gave him permission to talk to other teams earlier this month.
Despite the organization letting him talk to other teams, they're still hoping to keep him in Cincinnati and beyond.
"One league source even suggested they should punt to 2026 and give him a one-year deal worth $30 million — though it's unclear if that would appease Hendrickson," Jordan Shultz of Fox Sports wrote on Wednesday.
After this Hunter contract, it's hard to see a scenario where Hendrickson would be happy with a simple bump in pay for 2025. That probably doesn't make sense for either side.
The 30-year-old led the NFL with 17.5 sacks in 2024. Hendrickson finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting and accounted for nearly half of Cincinnati's 36 total sacks. Hunter had 12 sacks for the Texans and like Hendrickson, is 30 years old.
Hendrickson has generated plenty of interest on the trade market, but teams are hesitant to pay the Bengals' asking price when they also have to reward the star pass rusher with a new contract.
"Sources indicate multiple teams, including the Indianapolis Colts — who have his former defensive coordinator in Lou Anarumo — are interested in trading for him," Schultz wrote. "However, satisfying both Hendrickson with a new contract and the Bengals with trade compensation is proving difficult — perhaps even impossible. The Bengals recognize Hendrickson's importance to the team and remain in constant contact with his camp, hoping to get something done. The situation remains fluid, but Cincinnati would love to find a solution."
That solution could mean a similar contract to Hunter's. Would the Bengals really give Hendrickson $54 million guaranteed over the next two seasons? That feels unlikely.
At the same time, if a two-year, $55 million contract can keep Hendrickson happy in Cincinnati, then the Bengals should consider it—even if it's essentially fully guaranteed.
Hunter's new deal certainly gives Hendrickson's camp another contract to point at as a model for contract talks.
How would it work? Well, Hendrickson is set to make $16 million in base salary this season. They would need to give him a significant raise this year and make him one of the NFL's highest-paid defensive ends on a one-year extension.
Like Hunter, he's probably looking for a multi-year deal that includes a significant increase in pay this season.
The Bengals broke precedent and gave both Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins guaranteed money after year one in the contract extensions they signed earlier this week. It's reasonable to think Hendrickson will ask for the same thing in his negotiations with the Bengals.
