Bengals owner Mike Brown delivers a telling update on negotiations with Trey Hendrickson's contract extension
The Cincinnati Bengals have met quarterback Joe Burrow’s every demand this offseason except for one major checkbox: Trey Hendrickson’s contract extension. It’s something Cincinnati’s owner and president Mike Brown wants as well.Brown rarely speaks to the public nowadays, but that rarity is always witnessed in late July during the team’s annual media luncheon. The 89-year […]
The Cincinnati Bengals have met quarterback Joe Burrow’s every demand this offseason except for one major checkbox: Trey Hendrickson’s contract extension.
It’s something Cincinnati’s owner and president Mike Brown wants as well.
Brown rarely speaks to the public nowadays, but that rarity is always witnessed in late July during the team’s annual media luncheon. The 89-year old touched on many subjects during his availability including the current negotiations with Hendrickson, and it sounds like positive news for the Bengals.
Mike Brown expresses confidence in extending Trey Hendrickson
Cincinnati has pushed to extend Hendrickson’s contract for the last several months with negotiations being on and off. According to Brown, those negotiations were ongoing when he was addressing local media members Monday morning.
“We’re working to get Trey signed as we speak here,” Brown said. “There are guys over in the office working to get that done. I think it’ll get done.”
There’s a sense of urgency in that answer, and rightfully so. Bengals training camp begins on Wednesday, and veterans such as Hendrickson are set to report on Tuesday. Getting a deal done before then would ensure the 30-year old defensive end shows up with his teammates unlike the entirety of the offseason program sans a mid-practice media session.
Extension talks between the club and Hendrickson initially began back in the winter when Hendrickson made it clear he wanted a new deal or to be traded. He’s since gone on record saying he will not play this season without agreeing to an extension, and with a trade very much out the window now that camp is here, it’s come down to reaching that agreement.
Brown has witnessed two negotiations with Hendrickson. He’s used to the way he communicates, as he’s used to the regular outcome.
“The way Trey can be, we like Trey as a person. He’s a good guy. But when it comes to these negotiations, and we’ve been through a few of them with him, he pushes hard, he gets emotional,” Brown said. “We never have an easy time of it. But there’s one thing that is consistent. It always gets done, and I think this one will.”
The Bengals’ handling of their own contracts has become a national storyline with the team often on the wrong side of the conversation. There have been players who’ve gotten away, and even the deals they do reach aren’t short on controversy. The commonality with the ones that do reach the end zone is both sides wanting it to get done.
Hendrickson wants this to happen, and so does Brown and his team. It’s where his confidence stems from.
“We’ll see. I’ve been proven wrong before, but I am pretty confident that we’ll get there at the end.”