Trey Hendrickson contract holdout, explained: Why Bengals star is skipping start of training camp for Cincinnati

Football is a business. Team owners and general managers must make the best decisions for the team, and players often lack control over their circumstances. 

Football is a grueling sport, from the beating players' bodies take during the season, to the regimented workouts they must do year-round to stay in playing shape. Thus, when a player rises to the top of their position group, they want to be compensated like a top player. Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson is considered one of the top edge rushers in the league. 

With Cincinnati having to pay quarterback Joe Burrow, wide receivers Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase, among others, there were concerns that Hendrickson would be traded to avoid having to pay him. The Bengals made it through the offseason and are heading into training camp with their star defensive end still with the team, but still only under contract for the 2025 season.

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With Hendrickson still wanting a re-worked contract, he is expected to sit out the start of training camp. Here is more on why the Bengals' best defender will hold out at training camp. 

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Trey Hendrickson contract holdout

Hendrickson will not report to training camp, ESPN's Adam Schefter confirmed Tuesday.

Schefter added that Hendrickson and his representation are seeking more guaranteed money, as Cincinnati has only been willing to offer one year of it, while many of Hendrickson's peers have received three years of guaranteed money.

This is an issue revolving around guaranteed money; the Bengals have been willing to offer only one year of it while other top pass rushers - Maxx Crosby, Myles Garrett, TJ Watt - have gotten three. https://t.co/0Hy4wwJHgD

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 22, 2025

After negotiations broke down, Hendrickson posted an Instagram story geotagged in Florida, suggesting he had left the Cincinnati area.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 22, 2025

Hendrickson wanted a new contract ahead of the 2024 season, and the Bengals only met him halfway. While he was looking for a new contract with several years and a much higher salary attached to it, Cincinnati gave him a one-year extension worth $21 million. This gave Hendrickson an extra pay bump in 2024, and has him set to make $18.6 million in 2025, per Spotrac. 

The star defensive end made his extension worth it. He led the NFL in 2024 with 17.5 sacks, reaching that total in back-to-back seasons. By missing mandatory minicamp earlier in the offseason, Hendrickson was already fined $104,768 by the Bengals. While these fines can be waived by the franchise, he was warned by head coach Zac Taylor the month before that he would be fined.

Hendrickson will be subject to fines every day of training camp that he misses. Cincinnati owner Mike Brown said at a pre-training camp luncheon, "I think it'll get done. I'm not persuaded that it isn't going to get done. As far as I'm concerned, the sooner the better."

Team executive Duke Tobin said they hope to reach a deal with Hendrickson, but it was unclear if it will happen before the season, per ESPN's Ben Baby. 

The Athletic's Dianna Russini got an exclusive interview with Hendrickson. The defensive end had been in Cincinnati for training, but amid contract disputes, he didn't want to be a distraction, so he and his wife went down to Florida to continue training. Russini reports that he has received two offers from the team, but neither of them had any guarantees past the first year of the deal, which has been a dealbreaker for Hendrickson. He will remain in Jacksonville training for the time being, but told Russini, "I was more than willing to take less in some ways in order to make this work.

While Hendrickson thought that he was doing the right thing by being away from the team, he may be alone in that thinking. Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow said at the start of training camp that it was "disappointing" that they aren't around the team at the start of camp, even with contract disputes, per Yahoo's Jori Epstein. 

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Trey Hendrickson contract details

Hendrickson is rightfully seeking compensation comparable to that of the top players in the league at this position. The Bengals were able to do that for Burrow and Chase. The defensive end believes it is his time.

Hendrickson just watched as Steeler T.J. Watt was inked to a three-year, $123 million extension that has him under contract through the 2028 season. Watt is now the highest-paid non-quarterback in the league from an annual average salary standpoint. It feels like Hendrickson wants a deal similar to that, or the four-year, $160 million deal that the Browns gave DE Myles Garrett. 

Here is a look at Hendrickson's current contract for 2025, per Spotrac.

Season	Age	Base Salary	Bonuses	Total
2025	30	$15,800,000	$2,866,668	$18,666,668
2026	31	Unrestricted free agent

Will Bengals trade Trey Hendrickson?

The Bengals and Hendrickson have a complicated situation. Cincinnati gave the defensive end permission to seek a trade, but reportedly has turned down several offers. Hendrickson will turn 31 years old during the 2025 season. This works against him with getting paid like a player on the young side of their prime, but it has also caused teams to fall short of Cincinnati's steep asking price. 

Hendrickson could always be traded, but it feels like the Bengals would have capitalized on his trade value around the NFL Draft if they were going to move him. With the team owner and other team execs saying ahead of training camp that they're confident a deal gets done, it seem for now that the plan is to keep him in Cincinnati.