The Cincinnati Bengals saw some action in Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline, as they dealt linebacker Logan Wilson to the Dallas Cowboys.
A big storyline in itself, the biggest news for the franchise is that star defensive end Trey Hendrickson is staying in the Queen City.
The situation surrounding Hendrickson is not an unfamiliar one to many Bengals fans, as the contract extension talks this offseason were one of the biggest storylines for the team. Now, in a season trending in the wrong direction, it is shocking to see the team retain Hendrickson.
What does that mean? Well, they definitely did not get their asking price.
Now, where will they go regarding Hendrickson on this squad going forward? The Bengals remain reluctant to give Hendrickson the kind of long-term deal he wants, but they’re also clearly not about to let him leave for nothing this coming offseason. That was evident with the report that the Bengals wanted a first-round pick to part ways with Hendrickson.
That tells you the franchise still values Hendrickson, even if they’re afraid of a long-term deal. And assuming that no extension is reached this offseason, it’s very likely that the Bengals will place the franchise tag on Hendrickson. It would cost the Bengals about $36 million to tag Hendrickson in 2026.
While a high price, we’ve seen just how valuable he is to this defense, given how poorly they performed in the second half at Green Bay, the second half vs. the Jets, and the entire game vs. the Bears when he was out due to his lingering hip injury.
Barring something drastic, look for Hendrickson to get the Bengals’ franchise tag this coming offseason.
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