The Bengals and All-Pro edge rusher Trey Hendrickson have agreed to a raise for this season as the reigning NFL sack champion begins defense of his title when Cincinnati heads to Cleveland Sept. 7 to start a run he believes can end with a Super Bowl championship.
“No. 9 is spinning it, so we’ve got a shot,” said Hendrickson of quarterback Joe Burrow after putting pen to paper late Monday afternoon.
With 13 days and six practices remaining before the opener, No. 91 wanted to make sure the numbers were in place for the Browns.
“It gives a lot of clarity to the 2025 defense,” Hendrickson said. “It gives us a couple of more good practices, and with a great offseason in the books, both personally and as a team, I feel like now we can go collectively play for the 2025 Bengals. And what’s best for the team is the best players playing in their relative positions.”
Hendrickson, who has attended meetings and been on the sidelines during training camp, is expected to return to practice Wednesday as one of the highest-paid edge rushers in the league. Reports have his new 2025 money at $30 million, and he indicated both sides are open to talking about a deal beyond this season.
“We’re taking one day at a time,” Hendrickson said. “Moving forward, we’ll figure that out as it goes. For this season, to be given a raise I didn’t necessarily had to have been given, it’s a blessing to be in a position where I’ve been brought up to my peers. And also being able to get after quarterbacks.
“I love this city and with what’s been happening the last couple of months, I’ve had time to reflect on what it means to me and how much I want to stay a Bengal for the 2025 season.”
The deal culminates an offseason the Bengals gave All-Pro wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase the highest non-quarterback deal ever while making Chase and Tee Higgins the league’s two richest receivers for 2025, and it comes nearly two years after they gave Burrow the NFL’s most lucrative contract in history.
With the Bengals poised to begin the season as a Super Bowl contender, new defensive coordinator Al Golden has been appreciative of what Hendrickson has brought to the table this month. A frequent image has been Hendrickson counseling first-round draft pick Shemar Stewart before and after his snaps on the edge.
Golden said before Saturday’s preseason finale that he anticipates Hendrickson, a disciple of Bengals head strength and conditioning coach Joey Boese, could be able “to plug and play.”
“I think, obviously, his play, his resume, warrants that,” Golden said. “He’s working on his conditioning with Joey and the staff, and he’s doing a great job with the playbook and everything. And obviously, if we can get him out there, we can transition him onto the field fairly quickly, given his expertise and experience.”
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