CINCINNATI (AP) — Cincinnati Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin said Monday he had no update on All-Pro defensive end Trey Hendrickson, who has requested a trade and has an uncertain status with the team for 2025.
“I’m glad he’s here,” Tobin said. “I don’t have any new information on what the future holds for him. He’s a guy that I have a lot of respect for.”
The Bengals gave permission to Hendrickson to seek a trade in March. He’s entering the final year of his contract and has said he’s seeking a long-term deal. Tobin said there’s open dialogue with Hendrickson but didn’t offer any definitive answers on where talks stand.
Tobin didn’t directly address whether or not the Bengals would entertain trading Hendrickson on NFL Draft night.
Bengals team captain and starting center Ted Karras said he’s hoping to see a deal with Hendrickson come together soon.
“It’s a part of the business,” Karras said. “These things happen. Hopefully, they can get something done. He’s a big part of this team. Obviously, a high production player. I never sweat the spring. It’s optional (workouts). It’s not the end of the world that he’s not here. I hope that they can come to some sort of agreement so that we can go into camp drama free.”
Outside of Hendrickson last season, the Bengals had the worst statistical pass rush in the NFL. When asked about the Bengals’ pass rush entering 2025, defensive end Joseph Ossai said, “We have the group with Trey … God willing.”
Hendrickson didn’t report on Monday for the start of optional team activities. Hendrickson has been a mentor for Ossai, who credited Hendrickson for giving him the advice that he needed to take the step that Ossai did in 2024.
“Selfishly, I want him to be right here with me,” Ossai said. “I know he’s going to do what’s best for him, his family and his career. Whatever that looks like in the next two or three months, I’ll be supportive of it. He’s a huge mentor for me. I want him to be right here. But we’ll see.”
The Bengals’ decision with Hendrickson will have a significant impact on a defense that Tobin said is rebuilding this offseason. New defensive coordinator Al Golden inherited a defense filled with recent highly-ranked draft picks, and the Bengals are counting on Golden to get more out of those players in 2025 than the Bengals got last season.
For the draft, Tobin said the Bengals will be looking for players who specifically fit Golden’s scheme.
“The scheme fit stuff, we really pay attention to,” Tobin said. “Al has done a great job of communicating that to us, what his vision is and the type of player with the skill sets he thinks he can utilize in that system. Like a lot of great coaches — and Al is a great coach — he’s going to maximize the guys in the room. That’s job one, and he knows that. We’ll get him the best players available to do that.”
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Charlie Goldsmith, The Associated Press
