Bengals salary cap space explored: Can Cincinnati afford Trey Hendrickson's contract after historic Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins deals?

The Cincinnati Bengals secured blockbuster deals with wideout duo Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. While their offense is sorted for the foreseeable future, the Bengals need to focus on balancing the team with contracts for their defensive stars.

One defensive player that the Bengals want to tie down for the long term is Trey Hendrickson. The four-time Pro Bowl pass rusher has one year remaining on his current contract, which will account for $18.66 million in cap space in 2025.

As per reports from OverTheCap, the Bengals currently have $26.8 million in available salary cap space for 2025. Their cap space was cut down tremendously after Chase and Higgins' new deals.

However, the issue that the Bengals will face now is that Hendrickson wants an extension that will land him more than $30 million per year. Cincinnati wants to offer a new deal to the star DE but talks with Hendickson's camp have reportedly not progressed.

Hendrickson had requested a trade away from the Bengals last summer but eventually backed down. He reported to the offseason program and had another fine season at Cincinnati, although the team didn't make the playoffs.

Hendrickson initially signed a four-year, $60 million contract with the Bengals as a free agent in 2021. He then signed a one-year, $21.1 million extension with the franchise in 2023.

If Cincinnati has plans to keep Hendrickson at the team for the long term, it will probably need to make some cap space by cutting, releasing or restructuring contracts of players for the star defensive end.

While the Bengals did well to agree extensions with Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, their contracts come with some issues for the team overall.

---

Exploring Bengals' contract extension details for Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins

NFL: Cincinnati Bengals WR Tee Higgins - Source: Imagn

The Bengals agreed to a four-year extension worth $161 million with Ja'Marr Chase. The deal, which includes $112 million in guaranteed money, makes the four-time Pro Bowler the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL.

Chase had his best pro season in 2024, recording 1,708 yards and 17 touchdowns on 127 receptions. He led the league in receiving yards, receiving touchdowns and receptions.

Meanwhile, Tee Higgins was signed on a four-year, $115 million extension. The wideout was initially signed on the Bengals' franchise tag on a one-year, $26,179,200 deal. In 2024, Higgins posted 911 yards and 10 touchdowns in 12 games for the Bengals.

The extensions for Chase and Higgins are signs that the Bengals want to compete for the Super Bowl. The wideouts already have a strong partnership with quarterback Joe Burrow and can build on that in the coming years.

Cincinnati reached the Super Bowl in 2022 but lost to the LA Rams in the big game.