Ian Rapoport makes feelings known on possible Trey Hendrickson trade as Bengals avoid contract negotiations

Trey Hendrickson has been in the spotlight this week amid a stall in contract talks with the Cincinnati Bengals. On Monday, Hendrickson told ESPN that the Bengals cut off talks of his extension following a dispute regarding a new deal.

Since then, there have been rumors suggesting that Cincinnati could trade the defensive end this offseason. A few hours after Henrickson made his comments about his contract issues Bengals, NFL insider Ian Rapoport weighed in on the situation.

"If the Bengals were going to trade him, it probably would have happened already," Rapoport said on the 'Pat McAfee Show' (0:17). "Not that trades can’t happen after the draft, but generally, trades either happen before the draft or around cut-down day when there’s literally no other time to get something done, and a team says, ‘This is not gonna happen, let’s just trade you.’

“There’s been some communication between him and the team. There hasn’t been contract communication. That’s the good stuff. You want negotiations. You want offers. You want real stuff. That has not happened.”

Hendrickson signed a four-year, $60 million contract with the Bengals in 2021. He signed a one-year extension with them in 2023.

However, Hendrickson is entering the final year of his deal in the 2025 season, and there is still no certainty on whether Cincinnati will give in to his contract demands.

Trey Hendrickson is on course to make a reported $15.8 million with Bengals in 2025 season

Cincinnati Bengals DE Trey Hendrickson - Source: Imagn

According to reports, Trey Hendrickson is expected to make a base salary of $15.8 million in the 2025 season. He has a cap hit of $18.6 million.

Hendrickson has been one of the best defensive players in the league since joining Cincinnati. He has earned four Pro Bowl honors in the past four seasons.

Hendrickson was part of the Bengals team that reached the Super Bowl in 2022, but they lost to the LA Rams.

In the 2024 season, Hendrickson racked up 46 tackles, 17.5 sacks, six passes defended and two forced fumbles across 17 games. However, the Bengals failed to make the playoffs.