The Cincinnati Bengals are playing a dangerous game with Trey Hendrickson.
The star pass rusher has called them out multiple times for the way they’re dealing with his contract extension.
That’s why former superstar J.J. Watt has an unpleasant prediction for the Bengals.
Talking on “The Pat McAfee Show,” the former Houston Texans star warned the Bengals not to make this situation even worse and get into a mess they won’t be able to get out of:
“If you keep kicking the can down the road the can gets a whole lot bigger,” he said.
“If you keep kicking the can down the road the can gets a whole lot bigger..
Look at the Trey Hendrickson situation” ~ @JJWatt #PMSLive https://t.co/kkuFkSUKKS pic.twitter.com/l9PYXs1KLq
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) May 28, 2025
The Bengals granted Hendrickson permission to seek a trade, but according to most reports, they were never serious about it, and their asking price was just too steep.
Watt claimed to understand why teams take this as a business decision, but he also knows the other side of the story and believes Hendrickson has every right to take the same approach.
We’re talking about one of the best pass-rushers in the game, and he’s fresh off a Defensive Player of the Year-caliber season.
This Bengals front office has a long and well-documented history of infuriating its players during contract talks.
They don’t play in a big market or are a storied franchise with a lot of trophies, and this isn’t going to do them any favors once they try to lure a high-end free agent to their team.
Hendrickson has earned every penny of his new contract, and every day that passes without a new deal increases the risk of a holdout or – even worse – a formal trade request.
