CINCINNATI – Aggrieved Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson likened himself to a shark and labeled Monday’s statement to ESPN and today’s venting after practice as provoked attacks.
Hendrickson specifically mentioned executive vice president Katie Blackburn’s comments at the owners meetings in March and a Monday text from head coach Zac Taylor informing him he would be fined if he skips next month’s mandatory minicamp as the impetus for going public.
“It’s become personal, unfortunately,” said Hendrickson, who is entering the final year of his contract and looking for an extension that will bring his salary closer to the other top edge rushers in the league.
Hendrickson is due $15.8 million in base salary as part of the one-year, $21 million extension he signed in July 2023.
He led the league in sacks last year with 17.5 and his 35 over the last two seasons also are the best in the league. Hendrickson said if he only had four sacks last year, the Bengals would be asking for some of his salary back, the way they did by negotiating pay cuts with running Zack Moss and safety Geno Stone recently, and running back Joe Mixon a couple of years ago.
But Hendrickson spoke more about disrespect and truth telling than money during his nearly 25 minutes with reporters while his teammates were finishing up practice behind him.
Here are some of the more interesting things he said and what to take away from them.
No raise, no play …
Hendrickson initially was non-committal when asked if he would sit out games if he didn’t get a new contract.
“To say I'm going to sit out or I'm not going to, what I can say is I'm very disappointed with the communication that's been had. Former players have walked in these shoes and what it foreshadows is not something I'm excited about to tell my wife and my family. I'm hoping it doesn't come to that. I truthfully will put my hope in that.”
The takeaway: “We’ll see.”
But if you thought it would take until September to arrive at the answer, Hendrickson provided it within minutes rather than months.
After several more questions on other topics, Hendrickson was asked if there was any scenario where he would play this season on his current contract.
His response was his shortest, and clearest, of the day:
“No.”
So it certainly sounds as though sitting out games is his plan if the Bengals do not give him a new deal.
The text from Taylor …
Hendrickson said he was planning to come to town this week for former teammate Sam Hubbard’s charity Fowling event Thursday, but the text from Taylor didn’t sit well with him and was the main reason he wanted to talk to the media.
"A little bit transpired between me and Zac,” Hendrickson said. “We've tried to keep it as least amount personal as possible, but at some point in this process it's becomes personal. Being sent 30 days before mandatory camp – or how many ever days it is – that if I don't show up, I will be fined alludes to the fact that something won't get done in that time frame.
“The lack of communication post-draft made it imminently clear to my party – meaning my wife, my son and my agent, a small group of people – that I had inform that this might not work out. I don't think it was necessary. I think we should have all hoped for the best until proven otherwise.”
The takeaway: Hendrickson has been frustrated by the lack of communication from the Bengals front office, but he still held on to hope that a deal could be reached.
The text, as he mentioned, was a signal to him that the team has no interest in negotiating before the start of the June 9-11 minicamp.
Where his relationship with Taylor stands …
“We're going to just take that day by day. I love him. I think he's a great coach. I think he tells the truth. In no way do I feel like he has not conveyed anything that's not truthful to me. And I think he's a man of integrity, right? He leads and he wears the lumps, and I respect him. I hope he respects me. I never want to hurt his character in this process. He was one of the people that did know of the conversations that took place last year and I look forward to those kinds of things being resolved.”
The takeaway: Hendrickson was peeved by Taylor’s text, as his “provoked attack” comment makes clear.
But the way he addressed questions about Taylor after the initial salvo suggest that he believes that Taylor could have simply been the messenger for a front office not willing to communicate with him.
And it also sounded as though Hendrickson realized he may have been too quick and too emotional in his reaction to the text.
“That's another way I can grow,” he said.” I need to be patient and more level-headed and I look forward to that moving forward as a human being that's going through whatever this part is that they didn't like.
“They definitely didn't educate me on this at FAU, right? Like you don't get this kind of media training, nor do you get this kind of circumstances thrown at you. So first and foremost, I'm a follower of Christ. Second, I'm a father. And third, I'm a husband. And those are my priorities right now. I speak the truth. You guys have great questions, and I appreciate them. And this has been a tremendous blessing to have a platform to voice that.”
Does he want to be a Bengal?
“That's a tough question because you try not to let the business become personal. I think over the last week or so, it's become personal, unfortunately. And when there's a lack of communication in any relationship, whether it's a business or personal relationship, lack of communication leads to animosity, and that leaves my narrative only to me with no clear direction.
“So the lack of direction, the lack of communication is leading me to things that are allowing me to think about what's going to happen more than how great they've treated me over the last four years. My son was born right up the road. My wife worked at the Cincinnati VA. This is my home, and I wrote that yesterday. It's home. So unfortunately for myself, I have to deal with that kind of dilemma, finding out business in personal because on the one hand you see OTAs and you smell the grass and it's football, and man, I'd be lying if I said I didn't love it. And on the other hand, there's a proper time for that, and there's a lot of things that have to change before that happens.”
The takeaway: To quote the Magic 8 ball, “Reply hazy. Ask again later.”
It’s clear he feels as though the relationship has been damaged, but he stopped short of saying the harm was irreparable.
But it feels as though the only way it’s going to be repaired is for the Bengals to cave and significantly increase their offer.
That felt like a longshot before his public Tour de Coarse.
Mike Brown is undefeated in staring contests. Hendrickson’s approach is probably doing more harm than good.
On his spot in the pecking order on a team with a lot of huge contracts, two of which were awarded to receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins earlier this offseason:
“I love those guys. I want every player on this team to get their value, and I believe that's fair. I think what they agreed on in their own personal walks is up to them. But them going before me or after me is not something I'm frustrated about. I think if we all can fit, that's the ideal circumstance.
“I was the one that took the approach of saying, 'If we don't fit, I'm willing to help the team win in any way, shape or form. And sometimes there's not fits. If that's me, so be it.’ There's no animosity for guys. The reasoning behind it is probably they have the best quarterback on the planet to spin the ball, so I'd prioritize receivers myself. It is almost like building a fantasy dynasty.”
The takeaway: This quote sounds straight forward. Even though Hendrickson would never say he’s frustrated by his spot in line even if he was, there is no reason to believe he is just playing nice and saying what needs to be said to not upset his teammates.
Why he signed the one-year extension in 2023 …
"A little bit of what's happening now foreshadows that year. I had that offer for months before I agreed to it. It wasn't something that I rushed to the altar. It was something that aligned with my family's goals at the time. It gave us a little bit of ability to plan our family, another year to see where I'll be, and that aligned with the goals that I had, for my career here in Cincinnati.
“And with the fact that the Bengals never did that before, I carried that as respect as well. And I knew that if I outplayed that, the same respect will be given as it continues. I think if I did not take that deal, we're talking franchise tagging the 30 year-old, right? That's the magic number. That would be more me than another player, coming off the two back-to-back seasons. If I did not take an extension, I doubt I would be able to walk away in free agency."
The takeaway: Hendrickson doesn’t believe it’s as simple as saying he could have been a free agent this offseason if he didn’t agree to that one-year bump in 2023, as evidenced by the “franchise tag” comment.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/bengals/ as Takeaways From What Bengals DE Trey Hendrickson Said While Airing His Grievances at Bengals Practice .