Okay, here’s a breakdown of the key takeaways from the provided text, focusing on the Bengals‘ situation with Trey Hendrickson:
Core Situation: Bengals re-Signed Hendrickson, But With Reservations
One-Year Deal: The Bengals re-signed Trey Hendrickson to a one-year deal, avoiding a long-term commitment. This was a direct result of a contentious negotiation process.
Bengals’ Concerns: The Bengals had several concerns about Hendrickson:
Age: They were worried about his performance declining after his 31st birthday (this December).
Run Defense: His run-stopping ability was considered a weakness.
Overall Defense: Despite his pass-rushing success,the Bengals’ defense as a whole was struggling.
Value Relative to Stars: They didn’t view him as being in the same tier as Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase.
Hendrickson’s Regret: The article suggests Hendrickson regrets not hitting free agency in 2023, as it gave the Bengals all the leverage.
Why the Bengals Acted This Way
Leverage: The Bengals used their leverage to avoid being locked into a longer, potentially expensive contract with Hendrickson.
Past Deals: they felt previous contracts with Hendrickson had been lopsided in his favor.
Future Planning: They want to invest in developing young edge rushers to replace Hendrickson eventually.
Burrow’s Priorities: The Bengals fulfilled the key player retention goals set by Joe Burrow (Chase, Higgins, gesicki, and Hendrickson).
What’s Next?
motivated Hendrickson: The Bengals expect a highly motivated Hendrickson to have a strong season,proving his worth. They’ve seen this happen with other players in similar situations (Bates, Higgins, Williams, Chase).
Developing Edge Rushers: The Bengals need their young edge rushers (Myles Murphy and potentially Shemar Stewart) to develop and take pressure off Hendrickson. The failure of Myles Murphy to perform is a key reason they couldn’t easily let hendrickson go.
Franchise Tag Unlikely: A franchise tag is possible, but would be very expensive (potentially $36-$40 million).More importantly, the Bengals have signaled they aren’t interested in a long-term deal with Hendrickson beyond 2025.
Likely Departure in 2025: The most likely outcome is that Hendrickson leaves in free agency in March 2025, and the Bengals receive a compensatory draft pick (likely a 2027 third-rounder).
Win-Now Pressure: The Bengals feel pressure to win a super Bowl this year to justify the decision to potentially lose Hendrickson.
In essence, the Bengals are betting that they can get one more excellent season out of a motivated Hendrickson while simultaneously trying to find his replacement through the draft or free agency. They are prioritizing long-term flexibility and investment in younger players over retaining hendrickson long-term.
