Bengals receive $33 million contract projection on Trey Hendrickson despite injury

Matt Sullivan

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Bengals receive $33 million contract projection on Trey Hendrickson despite injury image

The Cincinnati Bengals are entering the offseason with some major questions to answer. Zac Taylor's future and how the Bengals address the defense going forward are the two biggest issues to address.

While Taylor is expected back, the defense might be on the verge of major change. One such change could come in the form of Trey Hendrickson departing in free agency.

While Hendrickson is likely to leave, how much he gets matters a lot to the Bengals for compensatory pick purposes. That's why the contract projection from Austin Gayle of The Ringer is such a big deal for Cincinnati.

Bengals get good news amid Trey Hendrickson $33 million projection

"He won't make outlandish T.J. Watt money on this side of 30," Gayle writes, "but I wouldn't expect him to sign a cheap one-year deal like Khalil Mack ($18 million) or Joey Bosa ($12.6 million) did in 2025."

While the lack of a Watt-esque deal isn't the best news for Hendrickson or the Bengals, the mention that he's not going to sign a cheap one-year deal either is some great news.

"Hendrickson could land in the $28 to $33 million per year range," Gayle writes, "with a sprinkle of guaranteed money through the 2027 season."

With the Bengals intending to let Hendrickson walk, seeing his new deal reach so high, according to Gayle's projection, would be ideal news.

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That would almost certainly give the Bengals a third-round compensatory pick in one of the more highly anticipated draft classes in recent years.

Hendrickson has dealt with a back injury this season, is over 30 years old, and has some long-term concerns about his health.

But, Gayle, in spite of those concerns and factors, projects Hendrickson to land a huge new deal of between $28 to $33 million per season.

For now, his final total is unknown, but Hendrickson is sure to land on a new deal with a decent deal this offseason. The only question is how high that new deal gets and where he ends up.

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Editorial Team