The stand-off between the Cincinnati Bengals and star edge rusher Trey Hendrickson reached a new low on Monday, when the four-time Pro Bowler told ESPN's Adam Schefter that Cincy still refused to engage in talks about a new contract.
"No communication has taken place between my camp and the organization post draft," Hendrickson said in a statement. "The offers prior to the draft did not reflect the vision we shared and were promised last offseason if I continued to play at a high level ... I have been eagerly awaiting a resolution of this situation, but that’s hard to do when there is no discussion and an evident lack of interest in reaching mutual goals."
Trey Hendrickson statement today to ESPN: “No communication has taken place between my camp and the organization post draft. The offers prior to the draft did not reflect the vision we shared and were promised last offseason if I continued to play at a high level. Coaches are… pic.twitter.com/2MKBL60ATg
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 12, 2025
At this point, it's hard to imagine Hendrickson in a Bengals uniform in 2025; this team loves nothing more than to cheap out on paying its biggest stars, and it's done nothing but alienate Hendrickson since the start of the offseason.
That begs the question: If Hendrickson won't be back in Cincinnati, where could he wind up? There are lots of potential landing spots for a player of his caliber at a premium position, but one team in particular should be desperate to get a deal done: the Chicago Bears.
Bears should be banging down Bengals' door about Trey Hendrickson
Chicago has undergone quite the overhaul in the first offseason of the Ben Johnson regime, with a brand new interior on the offensive line and two rookie skill weapons (wide receiver Luther Burden III and tight end Colston Loveland). But for all that change, one area remains stubbornly the same: edge rusher, where the Bears are still lacking impact talent opposite Montez Sweat after not addressing the position at all in this year's NFL Draft.
Impact talent doesn't get more obvious than Hendrickson, who's racked up 35 sacks over the last two seasons. (For context, Chicago's sack leader over that span is Sweat, with ... 11.) It would take some gymnastics to make the salary cap work, but the Bears could create the necessary room by restructuring the contracts of players like Sweat and wide receiver D.J. Moore. Hendrickson is one of the best in the league at arguably Chicago's biggest remaining area of need; there would be no quicker way to vault this team into legitimate contention in the NFC North.
Plus, there's already a connection here: The Bears' new defensive coordinator, Dennis Allen, served as DC of the New Orleans Saints when the team drafted Hendrickson back in 2017. It was under Allen's tutelage that Hendrickson first established himself as a star, and you can bet that the coach would love nothing more than a reunion in Chicago. Now the only question is whether GM Ryan Poles is willing to pay what it takes to win this bidding war.