Both WR Tee Higgins and DE Trey Hendrickson requested a trade from the Cincinnati Bengals last year. They intend to do everything in their power this year to avoid that—and more. Higgins is a pending free agent, while Hendrickson is in the final year of his contract. While it is not clear they can accomplish their task, they mean to sign both to long-term deals.
Hendrickson, who led the NFL in sacks in 2024, has already hinted at another trade request. While he said his preference is to remain with the Bengals, he understands the salary cap pie has limits. Higgins initially requested a trade last year under the franchise tag. However, once the reality of the situation set in, he played the good soldier and teammate.
“The team will attempt to secure a trio of stars who need new deals — wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins and defensive end Trey Hendrickson — for the long term”, Jeremy Fowler reported for ESPN. “Whether Cincinnati can pull it off remains uncertain, but the team’s messaging behind the scenes is that it’s certainly going to try”.
On Monday, Sports Illustrated’s James Rapien reported that the Bengals intend to franchise tag Higgins. However, that is only a stepping stone toward working to complete a long-term deal. A second franchise tag would pay Higgins north of $26 million this year, which is no longer unreasonable for receivers.
As for Hendrickson, his market is becoming hard to ignore with 35 sacks over the past two years. For some reason, the Bengals edge rusher seems to go somewhat overlooked as a second-tier player. Regardless of how one views him, he has the production, and there’s a market for that.
In 2023, the Bengals signed Hendrickson to a one-year extension worth $21 million. That salary places him outside of the top 10 at his position, which is increasingly hard to justify. It will be interesting to see how high up the salary chain the Bengals are willing to go, though.
And the Bengals will have to have the same discussion with Tee Higgins, of course. How high can they raise his salary in the same year they give Ja’Marr Chase the largest non-quarterback contract in NFL history? Because that is very likely to happen. Chase is the top priority, behind Joe Burrow, and has been since the day they drafted him.
But some have argued that paying players like Higgins and Hendrickson is an extension of the Bengals’ top priorities. By opening their wallets, they are showing Burrow and Chase their commitment to winning. And for the Bengals, that has been a concern for a long time under owner Mike Brown.
After all, this is a roster that has been on the precipice. They have been minutes away from winning the Super Bowl. And they also saw how even Patrick Mahomes is mortal—not that they haven’t beaten the Chiefs. But the Bengals are in win-now mode, as in 2025. And keeping Tee Higgins and Trey Hendrickson would definitely contribute to that cause for the next few years.
