“I think that was by design that everything went quiet,” Rapoport said. “He made his point, I think it was received, very received. There has been some communication between the Bengals and Trey Hendrickson since that interview, since the draft, there have been talks. [The Bengals] picked Shemar Stewart off the edge. I think he understands that.”

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport: "The Bengals sometimes function differently, a little slower ... but they do want to keep (Hendrickson) and do a deal."

When the Cincinnati Bengals selected Shemar Stewart in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft, it didn't have much to do with Trey Hendrickson and the All-Pro's current contract standoff with the team.