Bengals, Trey Hendrickson holdout tabbed a '10' on panic meter
Bengals, Trey Hendrickson holdout tabbed a '10' on panic meter
The standoff between the Cincinnati Bengals and Trey Hendrickson has gotten ugly, to the point of publicly traded barbs before falling silent again.
All signs point to things heading toward a holdout. And while Bengals fans might get a little deja vu from that idea because things followed a similar course last year before no holdout at all, this offseason might be different.
At every turn, Hendrickson has expressed dissatisfaction not just with his contract, but communication from the Bengals as a whole, implying broken promises and a lack of contact.
That's why the panic meter on a Hendrickson holdout has earned a 10 out of 10 from Bleacher Report's Moe Moton:
"The four-time Pro Bowler seems willing to incur fines and miss extended time to get what he believes was promised behind closed doors.
Despite his age, Hendrickson has the most leverage he will ever have in his career after leading the NFL with 17.5 sacks last season."
RELATED: Bengals UDFA is already turning heads at OTAs
It's a fair assessment, all things considered. Hendrickson might actually stick to his game plan this time and not attend mandatory work soon or training camp next month, incurring fines from the team as he goes.
The question, really, though, is whether that matters. Hendrickson will, after all, risk sacrificing a big chunk of his 2025 salary and his possible value to other teams before he turns 31 in December, should he sit out. For better or worse, the Bengals know this bit of leverage and might be more than happy to use it.
No matter what happens, the Bengals indeed have one of the more precarious-looking holdout situations in the NFL right now, considering how much is at stake for the franchise on the field in 2025.
RELATED: Cincinnati Bengals players missing OTAs list ahead of training camp
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
What Analysts Get Wrong About Baker Mayfield's Buccaneers Deal
What Analysts Get Wrong About Baker Mayfield's Buccaneers Deal originally appeared on Athlon Sports. There is a common misconception when it comes Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield. When Mayfield signed a three-year, $100 million extension during the 2024 offseason, analysts compared the deal to similar agreements made by Geno Smith in Seattle (three-years, $75 million). Advertisement Mayfield was coming off a season in which he helped the Buccaneers reach the divisional round of the playoffs. He absolutely earned that money. Now, though, Mayfield has outplayed his current contract. That's the argument made by writer Tom Blair this week. Blair made it clear that Mayfield has outplayed his $33.3 million average. Last season, the former first overall pick set career highs in most statistical categories including passing yards (4,500), touchdowns (41), and passer rating (106.8). There's something that most analysts like Blair get wrong about Mayfield's contract, though. While Mayfield's per-year average is low, his cap hit is just over $23 million for this season. That number is actually $2 million more than Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts, and $5 million less than Patrick Mahomes. Advertisement Next offseason, Mayfield's cap hit is set to increase to a whopping $49 million. That cap number will count for 18% of the team's money per Spotrac, and will be $18 million more than Hurts next season. A big reason why the Buccaneers have been able to retain some of their top talent is because of Mayfield's current contract. Compared to other top quarterbacks in the conference, the Oklahoma product costs a fair amount. And at the end of the day, the Buccaneers know they need to retain as much of their talent as possible if they want to make a Super Bowl push. Mayfield may seem like an underpaid asset for Tampa Bay, but the reality is that he is exactly where he needs to be to keep the Bucs in contention. Advertisement Related: Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield Has Glowing Scouting Report On Emeka Egbuka Related: Buccaneers Boast Crowded Wideout Room Ahead of Training Camp This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 6, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Buccaneers' Overlooked Veteran Given Props By First Rounder
Buccaneers' Overlooked Veteran Given Props By First Rounder originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Former Ohio State wide receiver Emeka Egbuka is walking into as perfect a situation with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as any rookie receiver in history. Advertisement The 19th overall pick in the 2025 draft has aging veterans playing in front of him that include a Hall-of-Famer in Mike Evans, and a Pro Bowl talent in Chris Godwin. Together, the Godwin-Evans duo has consistently been one of the better receiving pairs in the league over the last decade. There's another veteran on the team that has helped Egbuka in his transition to the NFL, though. And this one is overlooked on Tampa Bay's loaded roster. Former New York Giant Sterling Shepherd. Egbuka spoke with NFL Network's Mike Garafolo and Sam Wyche after OTAs this week and name-dropped Shepherd as a key person in his development. Advertisement "I think every time I come back from running a route, if I a ran a good route or I didn't run a so-good route, Sterling [Shepard] is one of the first ones to be able to tell me and we'll watch it together on film post practice — we're always studying the game," Egbuka said. Shepherd was once a second round pick by New York in 2016 and quickly became a dependable player in their offense. He had over 500 yards receiving in each of his first five seasons with the team. Injuries forced the veteran out of New York, though, and into the Buccaneers locker room. He recorded 32 catches for over 330 yards, and a single touchdown last season for the Buccaneers in 2024. This season, Shepherd is fighting for a roster spot once again. The fact that he continues to be a leader for someone like Egbuka shows just how special a person he is. Advertisement And how important he could be for Tampa in 2025. Related: Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield Has Glowing Scouting Report On Emeka Egbuka Related: Buccaneers Boast Crowded Wideout Room Ahead of Training Camp This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 6, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Graham Barton Graded as Weak Link in Tampa Bay Buccaneers Offensive Line
Graham Barton Graded as Weak Link in Tampa Bay Buccaneers Offensive Line originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had a huge hole to fill in the offensive line after the retirement of Ryan Jensen. Jensen was consistently one of the best at his position throughout his career. Advertisement The team took Duke's Graham Barton with the No. 26 overall pick in 2024, hoping he could live up to the lofty standards at center that Jensen had set in place. While Barton was a guard in college, the transition was thought to be an easy one due to his raw skills. And it was. But in Pro Football Focus' latest rankings of NFL centers, Barton did not show well, ending up at No. 21. "While Barton's rookie season didn't culminate in an excellent grading profile, he showcased a solid foundation. In his second season at just 24 years old, the Buccaneers center will be hoping to build on his ability as a pass protector, where he allowed just a single sack across 640 pass sets in 2024." Advertisement Barton landed an overall grade of 55.6, which was the lowest across the Bucs' offensive line. Left tackle Tristan Wirfs earned an 82.5, left guard Ben Bredeson graded out to a 56.0, right guard Cody Mauch got a 74.6 and right tackle Luke Goedeke earned a 74.2. Notably, Barton was graded just higher than the guy he replaced, Jacksonville's Robert Hainsey, who filled in at center before he was drafted. Hainsey earned the No. 23 spot on the list. Kansas City's Creed Humphrey earned the top spot, followed by Baltimore's Tyler Linderbaum and Pittsburgh's Zach Frazier rounding out the top three. Related: Analysts Mistaken About Baker Mayfield's Buccaneers Contract Related: Buccaneers' Overlooked Veteran Praised By Rookie This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 7, 2025, where it first appeared.
