“Trouble in paradise”: NFL fans react as Trey Hendrickson leaves Ohio for Florida amid Bengals contract standoff

The Cincinnati Bengals' veterans are scheduled to report to the team's facilities for training camp on Tuesday. However, it seems unlikely that Pro Bowl defensive end Trey Hendrickson will be present.

Hendrickson's contract extension dispute with the Bengals has continued into training camp. The 2024 NFL sack leader has openly said that he will not play on his $16 million contract this season and will not participate in any off-season training until the situation is settled.

Hendrickson isn't even in town today while his teammates head to camp today. He tagged Florida as the location of a sunrise photo he shared on his Instagram Story on Tuesday, suggesting he's not in Ohio.

The media swiftly interpreted the meaning of the picture posted by Hendrickson, and NFL fans have also reacted.

Looking to predict NFL playoff Scenarios? Try our NFL Playoff Predictor for real-time simulations and stay ahead of the game!

"If he drove from Cincy to Florida he had too much time to think 😭😭😭," one fan said. "He deserves better than the Bengals," another fan said. "Spending $115 million on a WR2 who had some bad drops last season instead of paying the league leader in sacks when your defense sucks is definitely a choice," another fan said. "Left Ohio to go to Florida yeah he never coming back😭😭😭," another fan commented. "Hendrickson was 1st in sacks, 1st in pressures, and 2nd in QB hits last season. Bengals need to pay him what he's worth... or trade him to a team that will," one fan said. "Uh oh, trouble in paradise? Gotta get that bag, Trey!" one fan added.

Mike Brown confident Bengals will reach agreement with Trey Hendrickson

Trey Hendrickson recorded 17.5 sacks for the second straight season in 2024. He has been named to four consecutive Pro Bowls and has recorded at least 13.5 sacks in four of the last five years. He is among the league's top defensive players and wants to be compensated accordingly.

During the Bengals' media luncheon on Monday, owner Mike Brown pointed that the team isn't interested in trading Hendrickson and that an agreement would be reached. However, the fact that the defensive star is not even in Ohio the same day he's supposed to report to training camp tells another story.

ESPN's Adam Schefter claimed Tuesday morning that guaranteed money is the main obstacle to a new agreement. The player reportedly wants a deal more comparable to what other elite pass rushers, such as Myles Garrett and T.J. Watt, received this offseason, but the Bengals are only ready to give him one year of guaranteed money.

There is still over a month until competitive football starts, so maybe the team will be able to resolve the situation before then. It will be interesting to see if the Bengals and their star pass rusher can agree before the start of the regular season in September.

Edited by Krutik Jain