Bengals' center makes feelings clear on Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins' extensions with Hendrickson in queue

The Cincinnati Bengals offered both Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins massive extension deals this offseason. The wide receiver duo will stay at Paycor Stadium alongside Joe Burrow, but the Bengals still have questions to answer. Trey Hendrickson, their star defender, is yet to get a new contract which has sparked rumors about Hendrickson leaving the team via trade.

Cincinnati center Ted Karras touched on the subject during his interview on Friday's episode of "The Pat McAfee Show" and spoke about what he hopes the front office will do regarding Hendrickson's contract.

"We're keeping our best players in-house. I mean, that's a big strategy for winning in the NFL. Developing high picks into good players and then retaining them. And I'm really happy for those guys. Those guys work hard. Those top three, I mean, that makes us a very serious offense...

I think it's going to be a huge plus that we're not having, like the hold in with Jamar and just, you know, so there's not that periphery distraction. Overall, it's not a big deal, I would say, in an NFL locker room. But it can, when it builds up like that, it can be a negative."

The Bengals were criticized for not paying their players before free agency started and now that they've done exactly that, some people have taken issue with their new approach.

Joe Burrow made it clear he wanted to keep both Chase and Higgins on the squad and the front office granted his wish. The Bengals have been urged by fans and pundits alike to focus on defense after a difficult 2024 season.

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NFL insider offers his take on where Bengals stand regarding Trey Hendrickson's potential exit

Trey Hendrickson is one of the best defensive players in the NFL and his 35 total sacks in the last two seasons back the claim that he's a force to be reckoned with.

Amid interest from the Indianapolis Colts, NFL insider Ian Rapoport shared on Monday's edition of "The Pat McAfee Show" that Cincinnati was eager to keep Hendrickson on the roster.

"The Bengals do not like letting good players leave the building, even if it's for, like, a huge draft pick. They don't like it," Rapoport said.

Hendrickson is the cornerstone of their defense and watching him go doesn't seem like a possibility for Cincy.