Trey Hendrickson is in Cincinnati. He’s even on the practice field, sort of. But he’s not in uniform yet, and his contract negotiations aren’t done.
On Wednesday, Hendrickson reported to training camp. He’s in the building and can’t be fined any longer.
But when speaking with reporters, Hendrickson also shared a less-than-ideal reality.
How would he sum up his contract extension negotiations with the Bengals’ front office?
“Things are exactly the same.”
That means that Hendrickson and his agent haven’t made progress on getting an upgrade on what is currently a $16 million contract for 2025, one he has already said he won’t play for.
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Hendrickson also wants more guaranteed money than just the first year, another area the Bengals didn’t seem like they were budging on.
So while he’s there, and it’s a good thing, this saga doesn’t appear over.
There might be one plus for Cincinnati about the new setup, though. Hendrickson is in a position to help his teammates prepare for the season.
One video emerged Wednesday of Hendrickson giving advice to first-round rookie Shemar Stewart.
Here’s a look at that:
Trey Hendrickson is in camp — and my understanding is he plans to stay engaged in meetings and around the team — as he continues to wait for a new deal.
A perfect example today: Here he is giving pointers to Shemar Stewart:
(Via @FOX19Jeremy)
pic.twitter.com/X9HJQ87eOA— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) July 30, 2025
Hendrickson is certainly a team leader, and his instincts there will take over when he’s on the practice field, even if he’s not participating himself. He surely doesn’t want to harm his teammates in this process. He just wants to get paid what he’s worth.
As someone with 17.5 sacks in each of the past two seasons, Hendrickson is worth a lot, especially to a Bengals team that otherwise doesn’t have a good defense. For Cincinnati to achieve big goals, it needs Hendrickson.
So for the next month, his contract status will still be crucial to follow. Not everything has changed, even though Hendrickson showed up.
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