On the latest edition of “Nightcap,” Chad Johnson delivered a blunt response to the ongoing Trey Hendrickson-Cincinnati Bengals contract standoff.
The Cincinnati Bengals are set to play their first preseason game of 2025 next week, but they might be without Trey Hendrickson. He reported to training camp this week, but the contract extension standoff hasn’t changed.
Hendrickson continues to battle the Bengals in a contract standoff over a long-term extension. The situation escalated this offseason when the reigning sack leader pushed for more guaranteed money than the team was willing to offer.
On a recent edition of “Nightcap,” former Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson weighed in on the standoff, noting that Hendrickson decided to show up for training camp for one reason.
“You gotta understand, Trey Hendrickson only came back so he doesn’t have to pay the fines,” Johnson told Shannon Sharpe and Joe Johnson. “He’s not there. He’s not there, you know—on good notice, right? He’s only there because he don’t want to pay the fines.
“And then—well, we're still at a standstill. There's been no forward progress in us getting the deal done. I'm assuming us to be far off. The only reason he's there is because [he] don't want to accumulate a certain amount of fines.”
Moreover, Johnson went on to say that Hendrickson and his camp have to reconsider their stance as he shed light on how Bengals owner Mike Brown usually handles these contract standoffs with players.
“One thing I know about the Brown family — you’re not going to bully Mike Brown,” Johnson added. “It’s not happening. If his feet are cemented and he says, ‘This is what we can do, and this is what we can pay,’ that’s what it’s going to be. You know?
“And I’m hoping, I'm hoping, because defensively we need all hands on deck. We need all the help we can get. Trey Hendrickson had a hell of a year last year and the year before. I would love for him to be compensated as such.”
Category: Football