Bengals dodge second trade request of offseason

The Bengals have had a star player on each side of the ball request to be traded this offseason, but it seems as though they have now dodged having to deal either player.

Wide receiver Tee Higgins was the first to request a trade in March after being placed with the franchise tag. He hoped to stay in Cincinnati but revealed the team has not had any talks about a long-term contract extension in about a year.

He has since revealed that he expects to play for the Bengals in 2024, however.

"I do anticipate it," Higgins told WLWT.

The second, and maybe more shocking of the two to request a trade, was edge-rusher Trey Hendrickson, who did so in April.

Hendrickson is also looking for a long-term commitment from Cincinnati after registering a career-high 17.5 sacks in 2023. He has two years left on his current deal but neither year has guaranteed money attached to it.

However, it seems as though Hendrickson is expecting to play for the Bengals this season as well.

The 29-year-old took part in the team's voluntary workout on Monday, which is the second phase of Cincinnati's offseason program.

"This is where separating business and the team is difficult," Hendrickson said, via Geoff Hobson of the team's website. "At what point am I contradicting what I want? Long-term, winning games, all those things are what I want to do here in Cincinnati and removing myself from the team doesn't help the team."

Hendrickson still seems to want a new contract or to be traded, but the team reportedly has "zero interest" in trading him, and attending the offseason workouts doesn't necessarily help his leverage.

As a result, it would not be surprising if he is still a Bengal by the start of the season.

That is exactly what QB Joe Burrow is hoping for, although he said he supports Higgins and Hendrickson "in every way."

"We are here to win football games. I really hope both those guys are here next year because we are a better football team with both of them," Burrow said. "They are both great locker room guys, too. They are going to do what they've got to do, but when the time comes for them to come back, if that time comes, we are going to welcome them back and hit our stride."