Joe Burrow is going to bat for Trey Hendrickson, as he has for so many of his Bengals teammates already. The star pass rusher, who has already requested a trade, feels disrespected by the organization. Despite consistent top production in recent years, they don’t appear interested in extending his contract.
The Bengals’ star quarterback has used his stature this offseason to campaign on behalf of his teammates for their paydays. Many believe that his public pressure on the front office played a role in them signing not just Ja’Marr Chase but also Tee Higgins to long-term contracts. He also included TE Mike Gesicki in his comments, and he signed an extension as well. But Burrow has already spoken out on behalf of Hendrickson, too, only to no avail.
So he did it again his first time back in front of a microphone yesterday. Asked about the ongoing Trey Hendrickson situation, Joe Burrow told reporters, “I love Trey as a guy. He goes out and plays well every single Sunday. He’s very productive. He’s a guy that deserves to get paid, and get paid what he wants, and what the market is. We’ll see what happens with that, but I love Trey and hope he’s with us”.
Hendrickson has voiced his frustrations this offseason, as Burrow is surely aware, recently escalating his efforts. A day after tweeting that the Bengals’ front office ceased communications about a contract, he showed up at the team facility and held court with reporters. During his extended informal press conference, he expressed frustration with his treatment.
Two things in particular stick out, beyond the front office’s cold shoulder. Specifically, early this offseason, the Bengals’ director of player personnel said Hendrickson “should be happy at certain rates that maybe he doesn’t think he’d be happy at”. Or, in other words, “take it or leave it”. In a message Burrow never received, Hendrickson also vented about HC Zac Taylor warning him about potential fines if he were to skip minicamp practices—weeks before the Bengals even start OTAs.
Considering that Joe Burrow has already used his platform to advocate for Trey Hendrickson in his quest for a new deal, I don’t see these comments making much of a difference. Meanwhile, the Bengals can’t even get their first-round pick signed because they’re being stingy on up-front money. And until Shemar Stewart has a signed contract, he doesn’t intend to practice.
That’s a bit of a big deal if Hendrickson doesn’t plan to stick around, and the more things head in that direction, the more the issue rises in significance. Hendrickson already told reporters that he is not willing to play on his current deal. He also said he only signed a one-year extension last year under the understanding that the Bengals would make good with him this offseason.
While player negotiations frequently grow contentious, they don’t always get resolved. Sometimes they result in a team moving a player rather than paying him. The Steelers didn’t plan to extend George Pickens, which factored into their decision to trade him. If the Bengals end up trading Trey Hendrickson, their defense will suffer significantly.
