If you're anxious about the Pittsburgh Steelers getting T.J. Watt locked up to a long-term contract, it's nothing compared to the nightmare the Cincinnati Bengals are going through with star pass rusher Trey Hendrickson.
Hendrickson had a tremendous 2024 that marked his second straight season earning 17.5 sacks while raking in First-Team All-Pro honors. The Bengals star also finished as the runner-up for the Defensive Player of the Year award.
Understandably, Hendrickson wants to be paid like a superstar, but Cincinnati isn't budging. Now Hendrickson is breaking his silence to bash the organization that refuses to pay him market value.
“No communication has taken place between my camp and the organization post draft," Hendrickson told ESPN, per Adam Schefter. "The offers prior to the draft did not reflect the vision we shared and were promised last offseason if I continued to play at a high level. Coaches are aware of these past conversations."
Henderson wasn't finished with his rant, and he placed the blame directly on the shoulders of Cincinnati's front office.
"Rather than using collaboration to get us to a point to bring me home to the team, they are no longer communicating," Hendrickson continued. "I have been eagerly awaiting a resolution of this situation, but that’s hard to do when there is no discussion and an evident lack of interest in reaching mutual goals.”
If you want an example of what not to do when handling the contract situation of your best defender, look no further.
The Pittsburgh Steelers must learn a lesson from the Cincinnati Bengals when negotiating with T.J. Watt
There's an argument to be made that the Cincinnati Bengals shouldn't hand Trey Hendrickson the contract he's seeking. The talented pass rusher is now in his 30s, and the edge rusher market saw a complete reset when Myles Garrett broke the bank, earning $40 million per season on his new deal.
The Pittsburgh Steelers will have internal conversations of their own when it comes to T.J. Watt. The future Hall of Famer will turn 31 years old early in the season and is coming off a down year in 2021. But we know what the market will be, and Watt is seeking a deal in the ballpark of what Garrett received.
However, the last thing the Steelers can afford to do is wreck their relationship with Watt the way the Bengals have carelessly handled the Hendrickson situation. These discussions need to stay behind closed doors.
The Pittsburgh Steelers need to learn from the Bengals' mistakes in the Trey Hendrickson fiasco. The last thing we want to see is T.J. Watt bashing the team for being unwilling to negotiate a new deal.