Bengals' Trey Hendrickson's decision still leaves big contract question

Trey Hendrickson apparently didn't like being away from his team.

The Cincinnati Bengals' star defensive end is expected to report to training camp on Wednesday, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

That's all well and good, but it doesn't answer the big question: Will a contract extension actually get done?

Schefter writes that Hendrickson made the decision to report to camp "without the sides being any closer" on a new deal.

Hendrickson could've had a change of heart, but for the entire offseason, he's been clear that he won't actually suit up this fall for the $16 million he's due to be paid by his current contract.

The idea of Hendrickson reporting to camp may have more to do with good faith negotiating than anything. But if what the star has said before is true, he still won't be getting on the field.

The question more specifically becomes something to the effect of: Will the Bengals give Hendrickson what he wants?

He wants more than one year of guaranteed money. The Bengals don't do that, except for Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase.

Will they meet their defensive star halfway on this?

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There's still a scenario where this takes a while. The negotiations have been too brutal to believe there isn't.

Hendrickson may in reality be worth double the $16 million his contract is slated to pay him. He has 17.5 sacks in each of the past two seasons. For all intents and purposes, he's a superstar, and he's by far Cincinnati's best defender.

It's a great headline that Hendrickson is reporting to camp. But the important thing, much more so than where Hendrickson's feet are standing, is whether his signature is actually on a contract sooner rather than later.

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