Two Cincinnati Bengals edge rushers, Trey Hendrickson and Shemar Stewart, are embroiled in contract disputes with the organization. With training camp set to open, Bengals owner and team president Mike Brown spoke to the media on Monday about Hendrickson and Stewart.
Where Does The Trey Hendrickson Contract Dispute With The Bengals Stand?
"We're working at it. We have people trying to figure that out as a I speak here."
Does Trey deserve a raise?
"We offered him one. He deserves a raise. He did well. He's important to us."
Mike Brown on negotiations with Trey Hendrickson. pic.twitter.com/oYFzLr7II5
— Joe Danneman (@FOX19Joe) July 21, 2025
Hendrickson’s unhappiness with the Bengals organization has been well documented this offseason.
The NFL’s sack leader from a season ago is entering the final year of his contract, which comes with a base salary just south of $16 million in 2025.
Hendrickson has made it clear that he wants either a long-term deal with the Bengals or a trade to another team.
Bengals owner Mike Brown wants to keep Hendrickson on the Bengals and believes a deal will eventually get done.
“It’s been a long negotiation. Trey Hendrickson is a fine player. He’s a good guy. We want him here,” Brown said via Fox 19. “Dealing with him is sometimes not so easy, and that’s all right. He’s got the right to argue his case. We’ll try to make sense of it from our perspective. We’ll see. I’m not persuaded that it isn’t going to get done. As far as I’m concerned, the sooner the better.”
Hendrickson has 35.0 sacks since 2023, the most in the NFL. The 30-year-old edge rusher wants a raise, especially after several players at his position received lucrative extensions. Cleveland’s Myles Garrett and Pittsburgh’s T.J. Watt received extensions that amount to an average of at least $40 million per year.
Brown said that the Bengals offered Hendrickson a raise, but the star defensive end turned it down.
“He deserves a raise,” Brown said. “He did well and played effectively. He’s important to us.”
Hendrickson has threatened to hold out of training camp until he signs a new deal.
Shemar Stewart Contract Dispute Gets Worse
"We're sitting here arguing over something that is pretty remote, I ask myself sometimes why the hell we're doing it, but we are and he's doing it too and at some point, we've got to put this stuff behind."
Mike Brown spoke for more than 2 minutes about Shemar Stewart situation. pic.twitter.com/1Df7axv8Dd
— Joe Danneman (@FOX19Joe) July 21, 2025
While there is some optimism in Hendrickson’s situation, Stewart’s case feels more pessimistic.
Stewart was not one of the Bengals’ rookies who reported to training camp over the weekend. The first-round pick remains unsigned due to a disagreement over the contract’s language.
Because of the CBA, Stewart’s contract is a four-year deal worth $18.9 million. However, the Bengals want to include an unprecedented clause about the guaranteed money. The Bengals want the right to void guaranteed money owed due to conduct detrimental to the team.
For example, if Stewart gets in legal trouble that results in jail time, the Bengals do not want to pay Stewart his guaranteed money.
The Bengals have never included this clause in the rookie deals of previous first-round picks in the past.
Brown calls the entire situation “peculiar” and remains steadfast in the team’s beliefs.
“A very peculiar thing,” Brown said, via Fox19. “It’s not about money. It’s about the guarantee in the case of if he were to do something contrary to the discipline levels of the league. I don’t think that’s going to happen ever. That’s what’s holding it up. It’s never happened as long as I can remember. His agent wants it to be if he acted in a terrible fashion — this is all hypothetical — something that rises to the level of going to prison, we’d be on the line for the guarantee.”
The rest of the Bengals team reports to training camp on Tuesday.
