This week the NFL owner's meetings, Cincinnati Bengals executive vice president Katie Blackburn chose her words very poorly when talking about contract negotiations with star edge rusher Trey Hendrickson.
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"I think he should be happy at certain rates that maybe he doesn’t think he’d be happy at,” Blackburn said, via Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer. “I think some of it is on him to be happy at some point, and if he’s not, you know, that’s what holds it up sometimes. So, you know, it takes him to say yes to something..."
Hendrickson appeared on "The Pat McAfee Show" the following day, and he was open about his frustration with the situation.
"Those comments from Katie Blackburn were definitely disappointing, and communication has been poor over the last couple of months", Hendrickson said. "It's been a little bit frustrating, and if they have anything they'd like to discuss, we're definitely willing to listen. When I say that communication has been poor, I mean that it's been here and there. We don't have any desire to be the highest paid, and we've tried to be as patient as possible. Three years ago, I began to ask for a long-term contract with guaranteed money. It was very confusing to read what I read yesterday."
As for Blackburn's "certain rates" comment, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk said he has heard the Bengals' offer to Hendrickson is in the range of $28 million per year. That's below Hendrickson's generally regarded market value, which starts with a "3". It'd be a different conversation if he hasn't performed, but he has.
Grade the trade proposal: Lions relent and make deal for Trey Hendrickson
This week at the league meetings, Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes attempted to generally plead poverty when it comes to moves that were made (or not made) this offseason. Yes, there are some big contract extensions on the docket, but those will not hit the balance sheet until 2026 and beyond.
Holmes hates talking about a "Super Bowl window", but the Lions are in one and it has narrowed just a bit by playoff losses short of the big game the last two years. This is not a time to sit on your hands, in deference to cost and future cost considerations.
In light of recent developments, Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report has a fresh list of teams who should target Hendrickson in a trade before the draft later this month.
The Lions are of course on the list, with the following trade proposal.
Lions Get: Edge Trey Hendrickson, 2025 second-round pick (49th overall)
Bengals Get: 2025 first-round pick (28th overall)
The 28th overall pick is a viable cost to get Hendrickson, thought it's fair to assume the Bengals want more than one draft pick if they trade him. Attaching a draft pick to him would then seem to be a no-go for them. That said, the Bengals' leverage could be waning--especially if Hendrickson is willing to try to force their hand to do something by sitting out.
Giving Hendrickson a contract extension would be a natural piece of making a trade for him, which would turn it toward being a no-go for the Lions. But maybe Dan Campbell, who was on the New Orleans Saints coaching staff when Hendrickson started his career there, can be an advocate for Hendrickson and a salesman for the idea of making an aggressive turn to trade for him.
