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NFL

Hendrickson committed to Cincy after trade ask

  • Ben Baby, ESPN Staff WriterMay 14, 2024, 02:10 PM ET

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      Ben Baby covers the Cincinnati Bengals for ESPN. He joined the company in July 2019. Prior to ESPN, he worked for various newspapers in Texas, most recently at The Dallas Morning News where he covered college sports.
      He provides daily coverage of the Bengals for ESPN.com, while making appearances on SportsCenter, ESPN’s NFL shows and ESPN Radio programs.
      A native of Grapevine, Texas, he graduated from the University of North Texas with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. He is an adjunct journalism professor at Southern Methodist University and a member of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA).

CINCINNATI — Trey Hendrickson was all smiles after Tuesday’s offseason workout.

After a tumultuous offseason that featured a trade request, the Cincinnati Bengals’ star pass-rusher was firm in his desire to play for the team this season.

“That’s a no-brainer,” Hendrickson said. “I mean, I love this team. I’m in great shape. It’s good to see the guys.”

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The three-time Pro Bowl selection rejoined the group this week for the team’s voluntary offseason workout program. Hendrickson, who was second in the NFL in sacks created last season and tied for second in total sacks (17.5), had asked for a trade after the Bengals declined to give him a long-term deal. Last summer, he added an extra year to his contract through the end of the 2025 season.

The move netted him an extra $5 million in salary last year but didn’t have an impact on his 2024 salary or alleviate concerns about the future. Hendrickson said that when he and his agent, Harold Lewis, met with the Bengals to inquire about either a long-term deal or a trade, the answer from Cincinnati’s front office was “pretty firm.”

“You kind of hope for the best,” Hendrickson said. “[In], football, you get what you earn in some ways and in other ways, there’s a business side of it.”

The 29-year-old has been one of the league’s best edge rushers since the Bengals signed him in 2021 to a four-year deal worth $60 million. He has 40.5 sacks since, the fifth-highest total during that span, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.

Bengals defensive tackle

“You just can’t take it personally,” Hill said. “You got to remember there’s also the business side of it as well.”

Hendrickson said that like others inside the building, coach Zac Taylor was supportive as he navigated the contract situation. He also said he understood why Cincinnati’s front office stood firm in keeping the current terms of his deal intact.

And on his side of things, he had no regrets about taking the one-year extension last season.

“My goal was to play here longer,” Hendrickson said. “So, when they offered me a chance to play for Cincinnati another year, I took it. I would take it again.

“I’m not asking for a great business decision. I know that asking ownership, there’s not a lot of ways to cut it. I just know what I can do and how I can do it. And I think my tape has proven that over the last four years as a starter.”

NFL

Bengals' Hendrickson back in facility for workouts

  • Ben Baby, ESPN Staff WriterMay 13, 2024, 05:01 PM ET

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      Ben Baby covers the Cincinnati Bengals for ESPN. He joined the company in July 2019. Prior to ESPN, he worked for various newspapers in Texas, most recently at The Dallas Morning News where he covered college sports.
      He provides daily coverage of the Bengals for ESPN.com, while making appearances on SportsCenter, ESPN’s NFL shows and ESPN Radio programs.
      A native of Grapevine, Texas, he graduated from the University of North Texas with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. He is an adjunct journalism professor at Southern Methodist University and a member of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA).

CINCINNATI — Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson is back with the team after missing the first three weeks of the offseason program amid a trade request.

In a video posted by the team Monday, Hendrickson was seen going through position drills.

It’s the latest development in Hendrickson’s offseason saga. He has been seeking a trade as the Bengals have been unwilling to issue him a long-term deal.

Hendrickson, who initially signed a four-year contract with Cincinnati in 2021, has developed into one of the league’s best pass-rushers. Last year, he tied for second with 17.5 sacks, the most in Bengals history since sacks became an official stat in 1982.

After the NFL draft in April, Bengals coach Zac Taylor sounded optimistic that Hendrickson would be with the team this season.

“We want Trey to play here next year for us,” Taylor said April 27. “He’s going to play here next year for us. He’s going to have success, we’re going to have success and I’m excited for that.”

Hendrickson’s trade request comes a year after the Bengals gave him a one-year contract extension. According to financial data via OverTheCap.com, that deal included an $8 million signing bonus, which increased his 2023 salary by $5 million but left his 2024 salary the same.

Since he joined the Bengals in 2021, he ranks eighth in pass rush win rate as an edge rusher, per NFL Next Gen Stats, and is fifth in total sacks during that span.

NFL

'Oh Yeah!' Kool-Aid McKinstry adds flavor to NFL nickname game

  • Brianna Williams, ESPNApr 25, 2024, 10:35 AM ET

The 2024 NFL draft places an immense spotlight on college football’s biggest stars.

Some players are used to the attention. For obvious reasons, Kool-Aid McKinstry is one of them.

What to know for the 2024 NFL draft

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The New York Jets star cornerback was selected fourth overall in the 2022 NFL draft, but he always had the “sauce.”

Born Ahmad Gardner, the Detroit native was dubbed “A1 Sauce Sweet Feet” by a youth football coach due to his elusiveness.

He memorably donned not one, but two chains brandishing his moniker for his draft day outfit.

“When I’m on and off the field, I make sure I’ve got the sauce. That just keeps me going,” Gardner told The New York Post. “When I’m in my little calm mood, it’s just me being Ahmad. The Sauce is within me, so I’m always Sauce. I have to know when to flip the switch up and turn the switch off.”

In his rookie season, he signed an endorsement deal with Buffalo Wild Wings and his own signature condiment called “Sauce Sauce,” described as a smoky sweet and spicy barbecue.

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Deebo Samuel explains how his name was inspired by the movie ‘Friday’

Deebo Samuel says his father named him Deebo after the bully in the movie “Friday.”

If it was up to the San Francisco 49ers receiver, he would’ve been known by his legal name: Tyshun.

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Our experts get you ready for Round 1. Watch now.
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Oklahoma’s Mayfield’s 5th TD pass goes for 77 yards

Baker Mayfield throws a 77-yard strike to Marquise Brown in the fourth quarter.

The Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver received his nickname much later than his aforementioned peers.

In November 2017, TV announcer Gus Johnson coined the name during a legendary call of Brown’s 77-yard, fourth-quarter touchdown in Oklahoma’s 62-52 win over Oklahoma State.

Johnson was referencing Marquise Brown’s hometown, Hollywood, Florida.

“It kind of just stuck,” Brown said. “Everyone started calling me it.”

NFL

Zach Wilson trade: Will the Jets learn anything from the QB's unsuccessful stint?

  • Rich Cimini, ESPN Staff WriterApr 22, 2024, 06:47 PM ET

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      Rich Cimini is a staff writer who covers the New York Jets and the NFL at ESPN. Rich has covered the Jets for over 30 years, joining ESPN in 2010. Rich also hosts the Flight Deck podcast. He previously was a beat writer for the New York Daily News and is a graduate of Syracuse University. You can follow him via Twitter @RichCimini.

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Zach Wilson welcomed the challenge. During the run-up to the 2021 draft, he knew all about the New York Jets’ suspect reputation with young quarterbacks. People in his own camp expressed serious reservations about him going to New York, sources with direct knowledge said, but Wilson told them he’d be able to overcome the franchise’s star-crossed history.

He was wrong about the Jets, and the Jets were wrong about him.

As expected, Wilson — the No. 2 pick that year — was traded after three disappointing seasons, landing with the Denver Broncos on Monday for a swap of sixth- and seventh-round picks. Now that he’s officially gone, ending a most regrettable chapter for the franchise, questions about the future arise: How can the Jets find a successor to 40-year-old Aaron Rodgers? Did they learn anything from the Wilson debacle that can be used to help the next young quarterback?

What to know for the 2024 NFL draft

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Quarterback Zach Wilson was the No. 2 overall pick by the New York Jets in the 2021 draft. Wilson was traded to the Denver Broncos on Monday. Steve Marcus/Getty Images

One difference, though: The Packers were set at quarterback with Brett Favre and, later, Rodgers, so their late-round fliers were low-risk investments. The Jets might need one of their picks to be their starter someday because the chances of finding a quality first-string quarterback in free agency are remote. If it falls apart with Rodgers, they will go into next year’s draft like the current Broncos and Best of NFL Nation

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