After a runaway season, defensive side Trey Hendrickson is breaking the bank.
The Cincinnati Bengals are signing a $ 60 million four-year contract with Hendrickson for $ 32 million in the first two seasons, reported Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network and Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network Insider on Monday.
Hendrickson’s deal was one of countless on Monday involving top-tier pass brokers earning big dollars, including former Bengals member Carl Lawson, who agreed with the terms of the Jets that are in line with what Hendrickson has accumulated annually .
However, the Bengals went out and spent to bring a pass rusher to fill Lawson’s seat and may not stop there, as Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network reports that Cincy is in the mix to hire former Steelers cornerback Mike Hilton, a of the top available cornerbacks.
Hendrickson was the 4th free agent in the class this year, according to Gregg Rosenthal’s 101 best free agents in 2021, and was the 3rd in defense. Those who flew over the limit were flying for big deals on Monday. In addition to Hendrickson and Lawson’s signings, other notables were Shaquil Barrett with Tampa Bay, Matt Judon in New England, Bud Dupree in Tennessee and Yannick Ngakoue in Las Vegas, among others.
Hendrickson heads to Bengals and AFC North after playing his first four seasons in New Orleans, where he made the most of his first campaign as a starter in 2020. Hendrickson had 13.5 sacks and 25 quarterback strikes for the NFC South champions.
Hendrickson and the Bengals hope to see the pass rusher’s continued productivity as it begins a new chapter and Cincinnati seeks to make a move north from the AFC North winery while the Joe Burrow era is underway.