The Cincinnati Bengals and Trey Hendrickson figured out how to make the present work with their recent contract alteration.
The future is still quite murky, though.
Hendrickson is still under contract just for the 2025 season, but the Bengals will get him on the field by giving him a $14 million raise. Instead of making $16 million this fall, Hendrickson will be paid $30 million.
It was enough to push the problem down the road a bit for the star pass rusher who has put up 17.5 sacks in each of the past two seasons.
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But there'll be a decision at the end of the season, and ESPN's Field Yates and Adam Schefter have pointed out one twist that could be coming in the offseason before the 2026 season.
Hendrickson's new contract, per Yates, does not include a "no tag" clause.
That means that at the end of this season, the Bengals could choose to give Hendrickson the franchise tag, which would keep him with Cincinnati for next season.
A franchise tag would cost the Bengals $34.8 million for 2026, according to Schefter.
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It's not clear whether Hendrickson would pursue another hold-out or hold-in if the Bengals did that. Some players don't like to be franchised because it prevents a long-term deal, and with Hendrickson on the wrong side of 30, it seems like he'd want one more longer contract before his career is done.
A franchise tag in 2026 would still be a single-season salary raise for Hendrickson compared to this year, so maybe in part that's why Hendrickson was OK with having that "no tag" clause in his current arrangement.
Much of the future could depend on how the Bengals do this season. If they go on to win the Super Bowl, vibes will be a lot better than if things crash and burn. So there's still plenty to be determined with Hendrickson, even if the problem isn't quite as immediate anymore.
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