The Bengals already had long battles at the negotiating table with receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, which is surely going to inhibit their ability to give Hendrickson a market-value contract. Chase reset the market when he signed a four-year, $161 million contract extension, the largest for any receiver.

Barbs were traded in the media across recent days, with Bengals executive vice president Katie Blackburn saying the pass rusher “should be happy at certain rates that maybe he doesn't think he'd be happy at.” He clapped back by saying "communication has been poor" between the two sides.

The Bengals have signed wide receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to contract extensions this offseason, but they have not signed defensive end Trey Hendrickson to a new deal and comments from executive vice president Katie Blackburn this week didn't do much to suggest that an agreement is imminent.