The Bengals and defensive end Trey Hendrickson had a major disagreement regarding the guaranteed money in a long-term deal. And so they came up with a perfect solution.
Don’t do a long-term deal.
Sure, the one-year contract provides Hendrickson with no security beyond 2025. If the Bengal weren’t willing to give him security beyond 2025 on a multi-year deal, why not do a one-year deal?
Last week, a G.M. made that point during an off-the-record conversation with PFT. Players need to be more willing to do one-year deals, if they want to be paid after they have a strong season on a contract with multiple years remaining.
The decision becomes more difficult when the team offers a sizable bird in the hand for year two, and possibly beyond. With the Bengals not doing that for Hendrickson, a one-year deal made sense.
It made so much sense that it’s surprising the Bengals did it. From their perspective, they gave Hendrickson an extra $14 million that they didn’t have to give him. For that team particularly, it’s a big deal.
Will other teams follow Cincinnati’s lead? In lieu of a multi-year extension, re-do the last year of the contract. Give the player a raise. Give him his freedom after that.
Maybe he’ll sign a new deal. Maybe he won’t. For now, he can focus his full efforts on having the best season possible, for the team and for himself.
