Bengals, Hendrickson reach one-year reworked deal worth $30 million

CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Bengals and All-Pro edge rusher Trey Hendrickson reached agreement Monday on a one-year reworked contract worth about $30 million, ending a summer-long standoff that had left the team without its top pass rusher during training camp and the preseason. The deal boosts Hendrickson’s 2025 salary by roughly $14 million but leaves him scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent after the season, a person familiar with the agreement said.

Hendrickson, who led the league with 17.5 sacks in each of the past two seasons and earned first-team All-Pro honors in 2024, signed the contract at the team facility and spoke to Bengals’ reporter Geoff Hobson afterward. “It gives a lot of clarity to the 2025 defense,” he said. “We’ll figure that out as it goes. For this season, to be given a raise I didn’t necessarily had to have been given, it’s a blessing.”

Team officials confirmed the short-term nature of the pact. Multiple reports said the deal includes a 1 million dollar incentive if Hendrickson plays at least 60 percent of defensive snaps and the Bengals reach the playoffs, and that it does not include a no-tag clause, leaving open the possibility Cincinnati...