“The Bengals Front Office is a F—king Mess,” Writes One NFL Insider…

It’s me. I’m the NFL insider (who’s very much on the outside). When the Bengals used the 17th overall pick to draft Shemar Stewart in this year’s NFL Draft, they made their stance on Trey Hendrickson loud and clear:

“Play or don’t play, Trey. We’ve got your replacement lined up and ready to go, motherf—ker.”

And so far? Trey has chosen don’t play. He’s skipping mandatory minicamp.

Here’s the problem: Stewart—Trey’s supposed replacement—isn’t participating in on-field work either. Why? Because he still doesn’t have a contract. It’s not uncommon for rookie deals to stall out over guarantees and payment structure, but the Bengals' reputation makes this more than just a standard negotiation snag.

If this were happening with any other team, we might say the player or agent is being difficult. But it’s the Bengals—a team that constantly finds itself in contract chaos.

This is the same organization that took over two years in contract disputes with both Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase. They’re on year two of contract disputes with Trey Hendrickson, as well.

In May, Hendrickson said the Bengals promised to revisit his contract if he produced in 2024. All he did was lead the NFL in sacks with 17.5.

I don’t know how it works in Cincinnati…

But here in Seattle, we call that producing.

The Bengals' response? A supposed lowball offer before the draft… and radio silence ever since.

To make things even worse, Hendrickson revealed that Head Coach Zac Taylor texted him “personal” and “disappointing” messages about the fines for missing camp. Hendrickson said the texts were premature and indicated the Bengals intention not to work toward a solution from early May through mandatory minicamp.

Welp—here we are.

Reportedly no progress toward a deal. Trey’s a no-show. His rookie replacement can’t practice. And the Bengals are once again giving us a masterclass in how not to run a front office.

What a f—king mess.