Sports Illustrated's Connor Orr is predicting a white flag from Trey Hendrickson. The writer dropped his 100 bold predictions for the 2025 season this week and predicted Hendrickson will accept the Bengals' best offer and sign a new contract before the season.
Hendrickson is signed for one more season with $16 million in cash headed his way. He's reportedly been offered $28 million per season.
"The alternative is to become Haason Reddick, which, for a player entering his age-31 season, cannot be appetizing," Orr wrote. "By taking the Bengals’ reported current offer, Hendrickson can upgrade his salary by nearly $12 million and, while still being underpaid, improve upon his prospects for next offseason more by staying in Cincinnati than he could as a year-to-year mercenary for less on another roster."
Time is the big issue for Hendrickson, while contention remains the best leverage he holds. Hendrickson doesn't have another 10 years to sign multiple contracts down the line. This may be his best shot at one more big payday, while the Bengals have little chance of winning a Super Bowl without him.
It's a fascinating push/pull that historically ends like Orr is predicting.
