Cincinnati Bengals star Trey Hendrickson is hitting back at team executive Katie Blackburn after she told reporters the defensive end should be ‘happy’ with the current pay rate at his position.

‘I think he should be happy at certain rates that maybe he doesn’t think he’d be happy at,’ Blackburn told reporters at the NFL’s annual winter meetings in Palm Beach, Florida earlier this week.

‘I think some of it is on him to be happy at some point, and if he’s not, you know, that’s what holds it up sometimes. So, you know, it takes him to say ”yes” to something, and also, we have all the respect in the world for him.’

With his contract set to expire after the 2025 season, Hendrickson and his agent were granted permission to seek a trade, only for Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin to express his desire to sign the four-time Pro Bowler to a long-term extension.

However, that deal has yet to materialize, and as Hendrickson told ESPN’s Pat McAfee, Blackburn’s comments aren’t helping the situation.

Bengals star Trey Hendrickson is hitting back at team executive Katie Blackburn after she told reporters the defensive end should be ‘happy’ with the contract extension offer he received

Bengals exec Katie Blackburn said Hendrickson should be happy with the offer he’s getting

‘Open line of communication is always open with me and my agent, so if they have anything they’d like to discuss, we’ve been nothing but willing to listen,’ he said.

‘Through this process, communication, when I say it’s been poor, it’s been, like, here and there.’

Hendrickson made it clear that he doesn’t fault the team for signing star receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to four-year extensions totaling $276 million in total value. Rather, Hendrickson wishes he’d known that the team would prioritize the receivers before moving on to his contract situation.

‘And respect to Ja’Marr and Tee,’ Hendrickson told McAfee. ‘I don’t want to take anything from all the great things they’ve accomplished in their careers. They deserve everything that they’ve gotten, and no doubt in my mind they’re going to excel in the National Football League. I have a tremendous respect for both of them.

‘But when it comes to my situation, it would have been nice to know in some ways, like, ”Hey we’re going to put you in the queue,” no problem with me.’

And while the season is still five months away, Hendrickson stressed this is a matter of urgency, given the fact that organized team activities are set to begin later this month.

Ja’Marr Chase (1) and wide receiver Tee Higgins (5) look at the scoreboard toward the end of the game against the New England Patriots and the Cincinnati Bengals on September 8

What’s more, the Bengals lost their other starting defensive end, Sam Hubbard, who abruptly retired at age 29 after the 2024 season.

‘When you have things like OTAs coming and guys like Sam Hubbard, who’s been a tremendous captain for our team last year, that leaves a vacancy for that and I’m excited to fill that, but how do we reach that before we get there,’ Hendrickson said. ‘Those are the things that matter when you’re talking about a Super Bowl. It’s in the little things and the little details.’

Hendrickson said there is no current deadline to reach a deal, but does have some strict terms that he is unwilling to ignore.

Namely, Hendrickson wants to know he’ll be in Cincinnati for the foreseeable future.

‘I don’t think I want to play for incentives that will be out of my control,’ he said. ‘I don’t think I want to play on a short-term contract and see where it goes. I would like to be able to tell my wife, here’s where we’re going to build a family together.’

Former Bengals receiver Carl Pickens criticized the Bengals in the 1990s, leading the team to create a clause allowing for players to have their signing bonuses revoked for such negativity

Hendrickson had 17 1/2 sacks in both 2023 and 2024. His 57 sacks since joining the Bengals in 2021 are third-most in the NFL over the last four years.

The Bengals have not responded to Hendrickson publicly, but the team does have a long history of penalizing players who criticize the club in the media. 

The infamous ‘Carl Pickens Clause’ appeared in some player contracts after the star receiver blasted the Bengals to the media in the 1990s. Under the clause, which was upheld by a court decision in 2001, the team has the right to recoup some or all of a player’s signing bonus if he criticizes the Bengals in public.

Fortunately for Hendrickson, his deal does not include any such cause, his agent confirmed to DailyMail.com.