Hendrickson made it clear that he has no plans of playing this year on his current deal. The Bengals gave him permission to seek a trade in March, but opted to keep the All-Pro defensive end. Make sure you bookmark BengalsTalk.com for the latest Bengals news, exclusive interviews, insight, film breakdowns and so much more!

One could debate for a long time whether the Bengals will care at all about what the Steelers do with T.J. Watt or otherwise. The fact Hendrickson was permitted to seek a trade and couldn’t find one, though, continues to hint that the Bengals hold most of the leverage, regardless.

The Cincinnati Bengals are having trouble reaching a new agreement with Trey Hendrickson, and the New England Patriots have the cap space to make a trade work.