Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said Tuesday that he has spoken with disgruntled defensive end Trey Hendrickson.
That said, Taylor didn’t divulge much more in the way of an update to reporters on Hendrickson, who told reporters last week that he received a text from Taylor regarding fines for potential missed mandatory minicamp from June 10-12.
“I put a lot of time into thinking — those situations, there’s real money at stake,” Taylor said. “So I put a lot of time and energy into thinking about how to communicate, when to communicate. And so, that’s just how I handled that one. And, yeah, Trey and I have spoken.
“I think every situation is unique. Every personality is different, every player is different. The timing of everything is different. So, you just adapt as you go with that stuff.”
Bengals star quarterback Joe Burrow, who previously lent his support to wide receiver Tee Higgins in his bid to receive a contract extension, said he values all that Hendrickson has brought to the team.
“We’ll see what happens with that,” Burrow said of Hendrickson’s situation. “You know how I feel about Trey. He’s a guy who deserves to get paid and get paid what he wants and what the market says he deserves.”
Last Tuesday, Hendrickson told reporters that he will not play the upcoming season with the Bengals on his current contract. The four-time Pro Bowl selection touched on several topics before sharing that he received a text from Taylor on what would happen if he didn’t participate in the team’s mandatory workout.
“A little bit transpired between me and Zac,” Hendrickson said last week. “We’ve tried to keep it the least amount personal as possible. But at some point in this process, it becomes personal. Being sent 30 days before mandatory camp, or however many 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, and that, with the lack of communication post-draft made it evidently clear from my party, meaning my wife, my son, my agent, right? Like we’re talking a small group of people, that I had to inform (them) that this might not work out.
“And that’s unfortunate. I don’t think it was necessary. I think we all should have hoped for the best until proven otherwise.”
Hendrickson, 30, led the NFL and matched his career high with 17.5 sacks in 17 starts last season, adding 46 tackles and 36 quarterback hits with two forced fumbles.
He has one year remaining on a contract extension he signed in 2023 with a base salary of $15.8 million for 2025.
Negotiations reportedly resumed in March after the Bengals signed wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Higgins to extensions worth $161 million and $115 million, respectively.
Hendrickson’s market value as a defensive end has climbed this offseason with the Las Vegas Raiders signing Maxx Crosby to a three-year, $106.5 million deal and the Cleveland Browns keeping Myles Garrett with a four-year, $160 million contract.
Hendrickson has made the Pro Bowl in each of his four seasons in Cincinnati. He has 77 career sacks in 110 games (81 starts) with the New Orleans Saints (2017-20) and Bengals.
