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March 7, 2025 15 mins
Kelsey Conway of Cincinnati.com joined us to discuss Trey Hendrickson, the Bengals, a potential trade, and the potential fallout from a potential trade

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Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Kelsey Conway of The Inquirer is not here to talk
about that. She has done some awesome reporting on all
the different pieces moving around with the Bengals this offseason,
Jamar Chase and t Higgins and all of Joe Burrow's
comments about what he wants the Bengals to do this offseason,
and obviously the latest involving Trey Hendrickson, we found out

(00:20):
yesterday the Bengals have given him permission to seek a trade.
And so this is really interesting. Kelsey is with us
get her work at Cincinnati dot Com. Also in your
Morning Inquirer. I know you've been asked this. I have
as well. I'm just gonna go ahead and post it
to you. So Trey Hendrickson, it feels like the likely
outcome is he does get traded. Why have things come to.

Speaker 2 (00:42):
This because this has been similar to the t Higgins
situation and unresolved issue for two years now, and when
things like this continue to fester, it tends to get
to a boiling point, and they've reached that point. And
so while it's different than the Tea situation, there's a
lot of similarities in some of the conversations I've had

(01:05):
with people that are, you know, of knowledge of what's
been going on the last couple of years.

Speaker 3 (01:09):
But it's it all boils down to the Bengals have
a number that they feel comfortable with Trey Hendrickson at,
and Trey Hendrickson has a number that he and his
represent representation believe he's worse, and they aren't able and
haven't been able to come to a male ground on

(01:30):
that number. And it got to a point where I
think the assumption was that there was no way Trey
was gonna come back, and you know, like he requested
the trade last year and kind of like bid his
tongue there and just sucked it up and came back
and played that wasn't gonna happen this year. I have
every reason to believe that had this not gone this

(01:53):
way and we were, you know, approaching May first and
there was not a new extension done for him, it
would have than another very tense situation. So I think
that the Bengals knew that, and they actually looked at
it and said, you know, the best interest of the
future of this football team is to get something out

(02:15):
of him now instead of trying to play hardball and
thinking he will just play his final year with us
and we'll be done with it. So it's been two
years of the making and that's how we got here.

Speaker 1 (02:26):
So you know, you made a reference there to what
might have happened had they hung on to him. And look,
he is still right now technically at least under contract
to play for the Bengals in twenty twenty five. If
no trade was made and no contract extension got done,
I think we would all expect there to be a
little bit of a mini circus once training camp got here,
maybe a hold in, maybe a hold out. Do we

(02:48):
think that if things got beyond that, the tray would
have been willing to set out actual regular season games?

Speaker 3 (02:55):
Yes, I think that it it had it has gotten
to a point with Trey where the market is so
out of whack, and it's one thing if it was close,
but to think he would have played, I mean the
guest he is under contract, and you can there are
a lot of people that bring up, well, he shouldn't

(03:16):
have signed that extension, you know, a lot two years ago,
and you know he has some fault in what's gone
on too, and and all of that is is you know,
we could we could talk about that part of it too.
But I from what I have gathered about the situation
the last two years, things have gotten so tense there

(03:36):
because he feels so underpaid and undervalued that I do
think that there's some like sense of pride here and
it's you know, you you go on the podium and
you say, we want to pay our players at market price.
We value them all in Zack Taylor's is all these
awesome things about the leader trays and the way he

(03:57):
carries himself and the productivity he has on the field,
And I think there's an element of it that is okay,
then prove it. And if you're not going to prove it,
then I'm going to have to dig my feet in here.
And I think knowing Trey and just how you know,
passionate he is about his craft, I think there would
be a massive element of this isn't just year one

(04:18):
of this, like I'm not We're not doing this again.
And I think that's where it probably would have headed to,
just a rough situation, and I think it was smart
by both parties to get ahead of it. And although
this is not an ideal situation for the Bengals, I
think it's the right move in acknowledging we aren't going

(04:41):
to meet you even close to where you want to
be and where the market will pay you to be.
So let's, you know, do you a solid here.

Speaker 1 (04:49):
How much, if at all, did the Max Crosby contract
in Vegas where he becomes the highest paid non quarterback
in the history of the NFL at least for now?
How much did that contract extension kick this in the
hyperdrive as it relates to Trey Hendrickson and the Bengals,
I think big time.

Speaker 3 (05:08):
And that's where I go back to. If there's one
thing that is the common denominator here with the Bengals
and these extensions that you know haven't gotten done. When
you wait, there's always a price to pay. And I
think I've been on here and said that to you before,
whether it be about Jamar and you know, t like

(05:30):
the Bengals have information to project where these position groups
are going to get priced at, right Like, That's a
big part of the job, is the projection thing of this.
They have known that the market at the defensive end
position was due for a reset to match more of
the players like Nick Bosa being so high over everyone

(05:51):
else wasn't going to be How it it went that way.
So I think the main reason it affected the BANG
because Trey. It's not that I know, I put out
a tweet saying this directly impacts Trey Henderson. And it's
not that I'm saying that Trey is asking for thirty
fives per year. I have no nothing on the record

(06:13):
that suggests that. But what I'm saying is that it
provides validation to his representation that if you want a
premiere edge rusher in the NFL, let alone the NFL
SAC leader last year, the number has to start with
a three or you're not even going to get anywhere.
And the market is what the market is, whether you

(06:34):
like it or not, the market is that. And there's
a lot of people that say that's too much for
Max Crosby or what. But from his standpoint, that was
just more validation. And I think what's interesting about the
conversation with Trey is it feels like the goalpost moves
all the time with him. It's he's not Miles Garrett,
but he's and he's not Max Crosby, but he you know,

(06:54):
people feel like he's you know, is he better than
Danielle Hunter and Montes d and Brian Burns, who are
all making more than Trey. It just to me seems
a little weird that the goalpost for him moved, because
you know, I'm not going to get on here and
say that I think he's Miles Scarrett, nor should he
be paid of Miles Garrett's money. But at the end

(07:15):
of the day, these deals get done based off of
SUTs for the most part, and he's got a lot
of facts, and people pay for edge rushers and and
so I think that when that Max Crosby thing came out,
it was just a hey, he really now has even
more validation that if he got on the market, he

(07:35):
could get way more than what we're willing to give him.
So I do think it impacted it.

Speaker 1 (07:39):
Kelsey Conway does an awesome job covering the Bengals for
The Inquirer and Cincinnati dot Com. I'm asking you to guess,
but in your case, it's an informed and educated guess.
So give me a best guess as to what compensation
the Bengals could expect to get for a player like
Trey Hendrickson.

Speaker 3 (07:57):
Not a first round pick. Think that that is what
we've seen when you have to pick up a contract
in addition to giving up draft picks, it significantly hampers
what you know you're willing to give a team. So
my yes, it would be a two or a three
at the highest where I think it's going to be

(08:20):
interesting is it does there have to be some give
and take there, Like the Bengals will obviously want the
highest compensation they can get, but like I said, the
team that's picking up the tab on his contract, they
they they have to say in it too. But in
my opinion, I think that it'll be a late two

(08:40):
or a three. If Deebo Sanuel is getting a fifth
Trey is very productive, like why would he not you know,
be teams that need an edge rusher that are trying
to win right away. I think a late two and
a third seems about like the right the right compensation
and from the people that I've talked to about where

(09:02):
they think it could potentially be headed.

Speaker 1 (09:04):
The free agency negotiating window begins Monday, opens that Monday
at noon, so like this thing with Trey Hendrickson has
to get done very quickly, doesn't it.

Speaker 3 (09:17):
And that's why I feel like the weekend is going
to be the telling part because they can't wait because
there's going to be a time window where the team
that's interested in Trey will call the Bengals and say,
you know, we're willing to give you that our third
round pick for him in addition to this, and the

(09:37):
Bengals will obviously have to weigh it. And I'm sure
there's going to be multiple suitors. But you can't wait
too long because say Team X comes in and says
this to the Bengals and they don't get back to them. Well,
when free agency starts, you got to know, and they
don't have time to wait, because if you're going to
get him, then that's one last edge rusher you have
to look for in free agency and if you're not

(09:57):
going to get him, then you need to go find another.
So they've got to get this squared away and packaged
up by the tampering period because it would significantly change
what they get in return if they wait.

Speaker 1 (10:13):
So all along, and you and I have talked about this,
this has kind of been portrayed as tea or tray, right, Well,
they franchise tag Tea, now they're going to trade tray.
So as soon as they trade tray, do they go
ahead and get the deal done with Tea.

Speaker 3 (10:28):
That's the question of the year, right. I have absolutely
no idea. Here's what I do know about Tea Higgins.
It was never a matter of if Trey or if
t The Bengals have the cash, they have the cap,
they have the money for all of these people. It

(10:49):
is about what they value both of them that and
they have, Like I said at the beginning of this conversation,
they have a number they're comfortable spending. And whether you
agree with that their philosophy on that or not, I
don't if I'm following all the breadcrumbs here uh t
Higgins tweeting that little cap emoji the day after the

(11:12):
director of personnel and head coach went on the podium
and you know, talked about how important he it's them
and how they value him. I don't think that was
by mistake. And I also don't think t Higgins mom
reposting chad O Chosinko going on ESPN yesterday saying the
franchise tag was disrespectful, and I don't think that's by

(11:32):
mistake that she reposted that. So I don't think he
Uh in his camp are necessarily happy that the Bengals
tagged in, nor should they be this. This has gone
on too long with c Higgins and he deserves a
long term deal and you know the franchise tag never
never helps the player. But uh, I to this point,

(11:54):
my question is if, like, why is it not done?
If things are headed in the direction, I just don't
think you would get that type of commentary from Tea
and his mom. So we'll see. But got to move
here in the next week or two because it's in
my opinion, if it doesn't happen in the next week.

(12:18):
I'm not saying it's not going to happen. I just
think it just makes the situation even more tense. And
it's a completely avoidable situation for the Bengals at this
point because at this point his representation has made it clear,
here's what we're asking for, and it's either we get it.

Speaker 2 (12:35):
Done now or not.

Speaker 3 (12:36):
But I truly don't know because every time I get
an inkling that I think it could it's moving in
the right direction, then I see a cap tweet and
now I have to be an emoji investigator.

Speaker 1 (12:48):
So yeah, that can't be a very fun part of
this one more because you have other things to do.
So what hovers over all of this is Joe Burrow, right,
who starts the campaign for t Higgins back on December ninth,
with which now feels like a lifetime ago. His more
recent comments have included Trey Hendrickson. You know before he

(13:10):
was just mentioning t and then Trey has been folded
into the conversation. So, given the fact that things have
changed since we last heard from Joe Burrow, how do
you think he is processing all of this?

Speaker 3 (13:23):
Well, I think he's processing in a lot different if.
I don't think he's necessarily happy about Trey Hendrickson, because again,
he was the one that said, you know, we want
all three of them and shoot Joe. The Babels offense
was awesome last year and they still missed the playoffs.
That was with Trey Hendrickson. Like, they're not a better
defense without Trey Hendrickson. And yes, they'll get picks to

(13:46):
replace him, but to expect those picks to come in
and produce at the level that Trey has is not
not accurate. You hope for two players to give you
that type of production, but that's your hope, and from
you know, stones at the Wall, and very rarely does
it does it pan out like that? I think he'd

(14:06):
be willing more willing to stomach it if if he
gets done and gets done soon so that we're not
you know, having to interview Joe and May asking why
are t Higgins and Jamar Chase's deal is not done?
But I also think the part of this that and
it will come out, because it always does. If the
offers for t Higgins and Trey Hendrickson aren't, you know,

(14:33):
close to market value, I think that will also be
a layer of it to Joe because remember Joe said,
either we're going to pay them or someone else will
pay them, and they deserve to be paid at the
top of the market. And so if the Bengals offers
aren't top of the market, I think that's another layer
that Joe, Joe would probably have an opinion about. So
we'll see, you know, the Bengals have said a lot

(14:54):
of things, and there's still a lot of things to
figure out, but it all works itself out and all
comes out. But I think that if you're in a
situation where it's draft weekend and you don't have Tea
on a long term extension, your team has traded away Trey,
I get the sense he probably wouldn't be jazzed about that.

Speaker 1 (15:15):
And my guess is he's going to have a lot
of company. You're the best I know. You have a
lot going on. Thank you for giving us some time.
I know you're going to be really busy next week,
so enjoy the weekend and we'll talk soon.

Mo Egger News

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