2024 NFL Sack Leader Stuns Bengals With Camp Absence

Trey Hendrickson warned the Cincinnati Bengals this offseason he would not report without a new deal — and he meant it.

The star edge rusher was a no-show Tuesday as the Bengals opened training camp, opting to stay in Florida rather than join teammates in Cincinnati. Hendrickson also confirmed to ESPN he will not attend, continuing a holdout that could cost him $50,000 per day in fines.

The two sides have yet to bridge the gap in contract talks. Hendrickson, entering the final year of his deal, is due $15.8 million in 2025 but wants a longer commitment with more guaranteed money. The Bengals reportedly countered with a short-term offer, including one presented just days ago, but nothing stuck.

Team owner Mike Brown acknowledged the impasse but remained hopeful.

“Trey Hendrickson is a fine player, he’s a good guy, we want him here,” Brown said Monday, as transcribed by Brad Crawford of CBS Sports. “Dealing with him is sometimes not so easy and that’s alright.”

Hendrickson is coming off another monster season. He led the league with 17½ sacks in 2024, matching his total from the previous year, and posted career highs with 46 total tackles and 33 solo stops.

Since joining the Bengals in 2021, he has logged 57 sacks — third most in the NFL over that span trailing only T.J. Watt of the Pittsburgh Steelers (58½) and Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns (60).

The Bengals maintain they expect all contracted players to report but Hendrickson’s absence signals otherwise. Unless the front office moves quickly, the franchise may be forced to prepare for Week 1 without one of the NFL’s most productive pass-rushers.