Cincinnati Bengals training camp is set to get underway Tuesday, but the team still faces some significant questions about which players will be there. The Bengals remain locked in a contract stalemate with All-Pro defensive end Trey Hendrickson, leading to questions over whether he’ll report to camp and take part in drills.
Despite that uncertainty, though, Bengals owner Mike Brown expressed optimism that a deal with Hendrickson will get done. Brown told reporters, “I think it’ll get done,” in regards to a new deal for Hendrickson.
Brown doubled down, saying the team was not looking to trade Hendrickson and is “working on getting [a deal] done.”
If that happens, it would end months of posturing from both sides. Hendrickson, who is entering the final year of his contract, is looking for a long-term deal after racking up a league-high 17.5 sacks last season. That performance earned Hendrickson his fourth selection to the Pro Bowl and his first All-Pro selection. After starting his career with the New Orleans Saints, Hendrickson has blossomed into a superstar with the Bengals, making the Pro Bowl in each season with the team.
The 30-year-old has been vocal about getting a new deal, saying he will not play for the team on his current deal. While he was a surprise show at the team’s offseason training, he skipped mandatory minicamp. That decision spurred renewed contract talks between the sides.
That contract hasn’t come yet, leading to questions about how Hendrickson will handle training camp Tuesday. Team director of player personnel Duke Tobin said he expects everyone “under contract” to report to the team.
That would include Hendrickson, who is signed through 2025.
Tobin also confirmed both sides have continued to talk about a new deal. He later added that he’s not sure if they’ll be able to reach a deal before the start of the regular season.
Hendrickson isn’t the only prominent player stuck in a contract-related tiff with the team. First-rounder Shemar Stewart is the only player taken in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft who has yet to sign with his team. Stewart, who has been working out at his alma mater, Texas A&M, has not signed with the team over unusual contract guarantees that are not typically included in rookie deals.
Brown took a different track on the Stewart negotiations Monday, saying it was “a form of foolishness” that no agreement has been reached.
