Sources – Bengals’ Trey Hendrickson to have core muscle surgery

CINCINNATI — Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson will likely miss the remainder of the season after undergoing core muscle surgery later this week, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Monday.

The reigning All-Pro selection is dealing with an undisclosed issue that has sidelined him for the past five games. Earlier in the day, Bengals coach Zac Taylor said Hendrickson was seeing a specialist to gather more information on the issue that impacted his season. That meeting indicated a procedure would be necessary after rest and rehabilitation failed to repair the injury, the sources told Schefter.

The surgery is expected to sideline Hendrickson for about six weeks, sources told Schefter, and will likely end a season that hasn’t been pleasant for all parties involved.

During Week 6 against Green Bay, Hendrickson suffered what was initially called a back injury. He did not return for the second half of the team’s loss to the Packers. He missed the Bengals’ next game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The injury diagnosis was changed to a hip issue, according to Cincinnati’s injury report.

In Week 8, Hendrickson was limited in the first two practices, missed the final practice of the week, and was officially listed as questionable for the home game against the New York Jets. Hendrickson played but aggravated the injury in the first half and missed the entire second half of the surprise 39-38 loss.

Hendrickson has not played or practiced since that game. And since then, there has been little clarity on his injury status.

Hendrickson was not seen at practice during media periods. Entering the final weeks, Taylor immediately declared Hendrickson questionable before the team even began preparing for the next opponent.

That status designation changed Monday when Taylor quickly ruled Hendrickson out of the team’s Week 15 game against the Baltimore Ravens as he sought a consultation with a specialist.

On the team’s most recent injury report, Hendrickson’s injury is listed with the designation “hip/pelvis.” When asked for more clarity on which of the previously associated body parts Hendrickson suffered, Taylor responded “it’s a little bit of all of those.”

The Bengals (4-9) have four games remaining in the regular season and are three games behind the division-leading Pittsburgh Steelers (7-6), with whom they have split their two games this season. If the Bengals fail to win the division, their season will be over before Hendrickson’s planned recovery schedule ends.

Monday’s development caps a tumultuous calendar year for the star pass rusher and the team. As the 2024 season ended in January, he led the NFL with 17.5 sacks and was named to his fourth consecutive Pro Bowl. He also earned All-Pro honors, a superlative a Bengals player hadn’t received since 2015.

Hendrickson also found himself in a contract dispute with the team as he sought a long-term deal with the club. The absence of one prompted a trade request early in the offseason. After a trade never materialized, he held out through training camp until he and the team reached an agreement on a $14 million raise, including incentives, to bring his potential annual salary to $30 million.

His contract will be void five days after the next Super Bowl, according to OverTheCap.com, which gives the Bengals $6.5 million in dead money against the salary cap for the 2026 season.