2 days Ago By Clark Dalton, Yardbarker
Cincinnati Bengals executive vice president Katie Blackburn's comment about contract negotiations with Trey Hendrickson clearly upset the star edge-rusher. Hendrickson is entering the final year of his contract in 2025 and seeking an extension. On Tuesday, Blackburn said, "[Hendrickson] should be happy at certain rates that maybe he doesn't think he'd be happy at," via the Cincinnati Enquirer's Kelsey Conway.
In a Wednesday interview with "The Pat McAfee Show," Hendrickson replied to Blackburn. "The one thing I was hoping was an April Fools' joke was that article," Hendrickson said. "That was a little disappointing, because communication has been poor, that's something I hold in high regard.
They have not communicated with my agent directly. It has been ..
. a little frustrating." "Those comments from Katie Blackburn were definitely disappointing & communication has been poor over the last couple of months.
. It's been a little bit frustrating & if they have anything they'd like to discuss we're definitely willing to listen" ~ Trey Hendrickson #PMSLive pic.twitter.
com/C9PUdfKewj Hendrickson also suggested the Bengals haven't kept their promises, repeatedly delaying his extension over the past three years. "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" ~ Trey Hendrickson #PMSLive https://t.co/zZBw43cbnS pic.twitter.
com/PsRF6pex39 "To read what I read [Tuesday] was confusing, like it's my decision," Hendrickson said. "I would've been willing to sign three years ago, two years ago and this year. It was communicated to me that we would get something done this year.
" Giving Hendrickson a new deal would be smart for the Bengals. In four seasons with Cincinnati, the 30-year-old has made four Pro Bowls and earned one first-team All-Pro nod. In 2024, he led the league in sacks (17.
5 in 17 games). Hendrickson said he doesn't want to be the highest-paid player at his position. However, after signing wide receivers Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase to extensions in March, the Bengals may not have enough cap space for another massive extension.
Spotrac estimates Cincinnati has $24.49M in cap room . Hendrickson's market value is a two-year deal worth $31.
5M annually. On March 6, Hendrickson was granted permission to seek a trade . ESPN's Jeremy Fowler has reported he may skip regular-season games if the Bengals don't trade or re-sign him (h/t the Cincinnati Enquirer's Dave Clark).
With Hendrickson and Blackburn bickering, don't expect them to reach an agreement before offseason workouts start on April 21. Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing.
In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping..
