Bengals’ Joe Burrow breaks silence on Trey Hendrickson’s contract extension holdout

Joe Burrow knows he needs Trey Hendrickson.

The Cincinnati Bengals have one of the most expensive offensive trios in football in the form of QB Burrow and wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.

But as of mid-May, Cincy has yet to hand out a contract extension for defensive superstar Trey Hendrickson.

The pass rusher has put up 17.5 sacks in each of the past two seasons, and he’s seeking a new deal.

Hendrickson is currently slated to play out his contract in 2025 for $16 million.

The Bengals reportedly offered Hendrickson $28 million this offseason, but he turned it down.

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Browns star Myles Garrett just reset the market with his four year, $160 million deal ($40M per year).

Hendrickson probably can’t quite get Garrett money, but being in the mid-30s feels closer to the right value.

Burrow spoke to reporters Tuesday and revealed that he’s on Hendrickson’s side.

"He’s a guy who deserves to get paid and get paid what he wants and what the market is,” Burrow said.

Burrow had a historically great 2024 season for a QB on a losing team. The reason the Bengals were a losing team is that they couldn’t stop opposing offenses.

There’s still slim defensive depth behind Hendrickson, but Cincinnati has to start somewhere. Without him, the Bengals might as well put their Super Bowl hopes to bed.

Burrow, obviously, wants to hoist the Lombardi Trophy. And it appears he knows he needs Hendrickson to do so.

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