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.

Hendrickson's combined 35 sacks are the most by any NFL player of the last two seasons by a decent margin. But the Bengals have not been willing to meet his asking price.