Hendrickson wants to stay with Bengals despite trade request

Star pass-rusher Trey Hendrickson expressed his commitment to the Bengals on Tuesday, saying he hopes to play for Cincinnati for years despite requesting a trade in late April.

"That's a no-brainer," Hendrickson said, according to ESPN's Ben Baby. "I mean, I love this team. I'm in great shape. It's good to see the guys."

Hendrickson has two years left on his contract and attempted to negotiate a long-term extension with Cincinnati this offseason. The two sides failed to agree to terms, however, which resulted in the 29-year-old requesting a trade on April 24. The Bengals said they have no intention to move their top edge rusher.

The three-time Pro Bowler has a base salary of $14.8 million in 2024, but his contract doesn't include any guaranteed money over the next two seasons, according to Over The Cap.

"You kind of hope for the best," Hendrickson added. "(In), football, you get what you earn in some ways and in other ways, there's a business side of it."

"This is where separating business and the team is difficult," Hendrickson recently told team reporter Geoff Hobson. "At what point am I contradicting what I want? Long term, winning games, all those things are what I want to do here in Cincinnati, and removing myself from the team doesn't help the team."

Hendrickson attended the Bengals' voluntary workouts this week.

Hendrickson has been one of the NFL's best edge rushers since joining the Bengals. He was the only Cincinnati player with more than six sacks last year, finishing with a career-high 17.5, second most in the league. The 2017 third-round pick has recorded 39.5 sacks in 48 appearances across three seasons with Cincy.

He spent the first four seasons of his career with the New Orleans Saints. Hendrickson then signed a four-year, $60-million contract with the Bengals in 2021 and added one year and $21 million to his deal in 2023. His average annual salary ranks 12th among edge rushers, per Spotrac.

"I'm not asking for a great business decision," Hendrickson added, according to Baby. "I know that asking ownership, there's not a lot of ways to cut it. I just know what I can do and how I can do it. And I think my tape has proven that over the last four years as a starter."