Thursday afternoon was a crushing blow for the Cincinnati Bengals franchise. I am not sure they even realize it yet, but it was a devastating one. While it remains to be seen if T.J. Watt will live up to his gargantuan, three-year, $123 million extension to stay with the Pittsburgh Steelers, it inadvertently put Cincinnati out of the Trey Hendrickson business. The Steelers pay how much for no playoff wins?!
Logic was always going to prevail when it came to Watt getting extended. The backlash of him leaving would have been career killers for anyone associated with this era of Steelers football. He may be well on his way to Canton, but it is not like his older brother J.J. aged gracefully in the back-half of his illustrious career. That being said, Hendrickson may play one more season for Cincinnati and that is it!
He and Dallas Cowboys edge rusher Micah Parsons still need new contracts in the wake of Watt getting his, as well as in the extended wake of Maxx Crosby getting his with the Las Vegas Raiders and Myles Garrett getting his with the Cleveland Browns. All five edge rushers deserve to be paid at or near the top of the market. Thus, Hendrickson and Parsons have become even more pricey now.
Cincinnati has made it a business by being extremely frugal with their money throughout its history.
ESPN sources: Steelers star TJ Watt has become the highest-paid non-QB in NFL history for the second time in his illustrious career, reaching agreement today on a three-year, $123 million extension that includes $108M fully guaranteed at signing. The $41 million per year average… pic.twitter.com/si6V7FUdlp
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 17, 2025
Hendrickson may have been paid well on his last contract, but his last bite at the apple will be bigger.
T.J. Watt's new contract prices Trey Hendrickson out of Cincinnati
I would venture to guess that Hendrickson will reluctantly play out the final year of his deal with the Bengals before telling them to kick rocks in free agency. He is coming off arguably his best season as a pro out of Florida Atlantic. Just because he did not play major college football does not mean teams need to continue to discount him like the Bengals are and the New Orleans Saints did before with him.
Honestly, I really feel for the guy. He does not have the same assurances of contemporaries such as Crosby, Garrett and now Watt. Parsons does not have them either, but he was every bit the blue-chipper coming out of high school in Harrisburg, as well as coming out of college at Penn State. It is why he was a first-round pick by the Cowboys half a decade ago. He just needs a new deal here soon.
Overall, I am now trying to reconfigure my brain into what teams could be in the market for Hendrickson next year. I would venture to guess Dallas will extend Parsons, so the Cowboys are out of the equation. Maybe he reunites with Lou Anarumo in Indianapolis? Are there other connections he has from his time in Cincinnati and New Orleans that can manifest into something beautiful in 2026?
For now, it would take a modern miracle for the Bengals to be able to actually pay Hendrickson now.