Don’t expect the Bengals to make a deal with their in-division, in-state rival.

Cleveland Browns v Cincinnati Bengals

Some NFL fans may have forgotten the Cincinnati Bengals are still in the midst of a contract standoff with star pass rusher Trey Hendrickson.

The 30-year-old requested a trade last offseason and it appears the team is finally beginning to honor that request.

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported Sunday that Cincinnati has apparently begun shopping Hendrickson around, though no frameworks for any deal are in place as of yet.
The four-time Pro Bowler would be a massive upgrade for anyone’s defensive line and there are sure to be suitors, though Cincinnati probably won’t get anywhere close to what it’s asking price is given how long it’s taken them to get to this stage.

Cleveland Browns get bad news in Trey Hendrickson trade pursuit

According to Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz, there are three teams that have already expressed interest to the Bengals in acquiring Hendrickson.

Those would be the Carolina Panthers, Indianapolis Colts and Cleveland Browns.

Despite that reporting, Schultz believes an in-division, in-state swap is highly unlikely. He said Cincinnati’s asking price in that scenario is one or two impact players plus a draft pick.

That does sound like a steep price yet an appropriate one if the Bengals were going to see Hendrickson twice a year moving forward.

You have to give Cleveland credit though for working its phones.

The club has been stagnant for years and when an opportunity for a complimentary player across from Myles Garrett on the defensive line becomes available, they have to do their due diligence.

Hendrickson could become the first domino to fall in the contract standoff-trade request backlog that’s built up this summer.

The Washington Commanders are still at their own impasse with wide receiver Terry McLaurin, who requested a trade a few weeks ago, and the Dallas Cowboys also can’t seem to reach an agreement with pass rusher Micah Parsons.

It’s still highly unlikely either of those two get moved ahead of Week 1 as they are both still under contract for this season and are seen as using their trade requests as negotiating tools.

But if Cincinnati bites the bullet and moves on from Hendrickson, there may be a new precedent set.