The Cincinnati Bengals may be able to have their cake and eat it, too. Less than 24 hours after word came down the franchise is inking historic extensions with receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, it now appears Cincinnati may also be keeping another familiar face in town. The Bengals are working to retain star pass rusher Trey Hendrickson, and those talks between the two sides are ongoing, according to The Athletic.
If the Bengals do end up finding a way to keep Hendrickson aboard, it would be an almost unfathomable development. Throughout the offseason, it appeared as if he might be the casualty of the team prioritizing extensions for Chase and Higgins, and they even permitted Hendrickson, who has one year remaining on his contract and is looking for an extension himself, to seek a trade. The Bengals were reportedly asking for a first-round pick plus additional assets for Hendrickson.
CIN • DE • #91
So far, no deal has come across the wire, and with the dust now settled on Chase and Higgins extensions, the team can now turn its attention toward potentially keeping Hendrickson for the foreseeable future. Similar to Chase and Higgins, however, it’ll likely cost a pretty penny.
Hendrickson, 30, is coming off a tremendous season where he led the NFL with 17.5 sacks. That sack total matches his production from the 2023 season, which broke a franchise record that he previously set in 2021 with 14 sacks. Along with the sacks, Hendrickson also notched 46 tackles, 36 quarterback hits and two forced fumbles in 2024, which helped him earn first-team All-Pro honors for the first time in his career. He was also named to the Pro Bowl for the fourth consecutive year.
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There is a new highest-paid defensive back in the NFL. The Houston Texans have given Derek Stingley Jr. that title as the two sides have agreed to a massive extension, inking the former first-round pick to a three-year, $90 million deal, CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones reports. That also includes an eye-popping $89 million guaranteed.
Stingley, 23, was eligible for the fifth-year option this offseason that would’ve tied him to the organization through the 2026 season, but the Texans have seemingly brushed that aside with this lucrative extension.
The $30 million average annual value of the extension exceeds fellow corner Jaycee Horn, who agreed to an extension with the Carolina Panthers just last week. That deal pays Horn $25 million in AAV, which was the highest for a defensive back in league history before Stingley signed his deal.
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Derek Stingley Jr.
HOU • CB • #24
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The LSU product entered the league as the No. 3 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft and has lived up to that billing through the first three years of his career.
Stingley truly emerged as one of the league’s best corners this past season and was the face of what proved to be the best pass defense in the NFL. As a team, the Texans ranked first in the NFL, allowing the lowest completion percentage (59%) in the league, and were second in interceptions (19). For his part, Stingley totaled 54 tackles to go along with 18 pass breakups, and five interceptions through 17 games played. In coverage, he allowed opposing quarterbacks to average just a 51.2 passer rating against him.
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All that helped Stingley earn first-team All-Pro honors for the first time in his career, and now this new contract.