The Cincinnati Bengals had a goal of extending four of their players this offseason, a list that included wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, edge rusher Trey Hendrickson and tight end Mike Gesicki, all of whom quarterback Joe Burrow publicly vouched for.
Well, the Bengals are three-fourths of the way done with accomplishing that goal. After extending Mike Gesicki recently, Cincinnati reportedly agreed to deals with Higgins and Chase on Sunday night, according to FOX Sports’ Jordan Schultz.
Chase is getting a four-year, $161 million deal that includes $112 million guaranteed, while Higgins is getting a four-year pact worth $115 million.
That leaves Hendrickson as the last-man standing for an extension, and after it looked like the two sides wouldn’t get something done following the Bengals giving the four-time Pro Bowler permission to seek a trade, there is now renewed hope.
Trey Hendrickson rumors
According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Hendrickson and the Bengals have been in discussions about a contract extension lately, and Schultz echoed that report.
“Next up: Trying to work out a deal with Trey Hendrickson,” Pelissero wrote on X. “The sides have been in contact recently.”
“The Bengals, even after getting lucrative extensions done with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, still hope to do a deal with Trey Hendrickson despite granting him permission to seek a trade,” Schultz reported. “It won’t be easy, but they are not giving up there.”
The Bengals have not made it easy for teams to acquire Hendrickson, with Dianna Russini of The Athletic reporting that Cincinnati’s asking price for their star pass rusher has been “ridiculous,” according to one unnamed general manager.
Cincinnati really should have prioritized Hendrickson over Higgins, seeing as how the former plays a far more important role than the latter, who is a No. 2 receiver behind Chase.
But none of that will matter if the Bengals get Hendrickson locked up ahead of a season in which Cincinnati hopes to make a run at a Super Bowl.
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