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Ben Baby, ESPN Staff WriterApr 24, 2024, 05:43 PM ET
- Ben Baby covers the Cincinnati Bengals for ESPN. He joined the company in July 2019. Prior to ESPN, he worked for various newspapers in Texas, most recently at The Dallas Morning News where he covered college sports. He provides daily coverage of the Bengals for ESPN.com, while making appearances on SportsCenter, ESPN’s NFL shows and ESPN Radio programs. A native of Grapevine, Texas, he graduated from the University of North Texas with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. He is an adjunct journalism professor at Southern Methodist University and a member of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA).
CINCINNATI — Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson wants out.
The Pro Bowl edge rusher requested a trade Wednesday, one day before the NFL draft, a league source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Hendrickson is looking for more long-term security despite reworking his deal less than a year ago.
Last year, Hendrickson received a one-year contract extension worth $21 million, which included an $8 million signing bonus, according to Roster Management System. After another season in which he was one of the league’s best defensive ends, Hendrickson is looking to cash in again.
Cincinnati is not interested in trading Hendrickson, a source told Schefter.
In 2023, Hendrickson finished the season with 17.5 sacks, which was second in the NFL behind Pittsburgh’s T.J. Watt. It is the highest total in Bengals franchise history since sacks became an official statistic in 1982.
The advanced metrics were equally as impressive. He finished 11th in pass rush win rate as an edge rusher, an ESPN metric powered by NFL Next Gen Stats, and created the second-most sacks (18) in the league, trailing only Kansas City’s Chris Jones. When Hendrickson registered the first pressure, opponents’ completion percentage was just 26.7%, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
While his on-field performance puts him in the same tier as the league’s best, his contract numbers lag behind. According to data from OverTheCap.com, the average annual value of Hendrickson’s extension that he signed in 2023 ranked 11th among all edge rushers.
Hendrickson has overdelivered on a four-year deal worth $60 million that he signed in 2021. The former third-round pick out of Florida Atlantic has reached the Pro Bowl in each of his first three seasons with the club and has 39.5 total sacks with Cincinnati.
“He has his own way about going about his business, and his is about being the best player he can be and making sure we’re the best team we can be,” Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo said at the NFL scouting combine on Feb. 29.
Hendrickson is the second star player to have requested a trade from the Bengals this offseason. Wide receiver Tee Higgins, who received the franchise tag from the team, requested to be traded in March. However, he said earlier this month that he expected to play for the Bengals this season.
