Bengals Owner Confident on Stadium Deal As Star Player Skips Camp

Bengals owner Mike Brown is confident he’ll complete a lease extension for Paycor Stadium that will include a large-scale renovation of the downtown Cincinnati facility. Whether star defensive end Trey Hendrickson will be there, however, is an entirely different matter. 

The Bengals and Hamilton County, Ohio, are attempting to close a deal by July 31 that would call for $470 million in improvements to the 25-year-old, publicly owned facility. The team would contribute $120 million toward the project.

“I believe it will be finished off in the right way and we’ll go forward together,” Brown said. “It’s been a tough negotiation. There have been conflicting voices sometimes, and all that has been part of it. But at the end of the day, the county and the Bengals are in a partnership, and we want this stadium to work right for the people of this area and our fans.”

Notably, Brown is satisfied with the efforts to preserve Paycor Stadium—even as the in-state neighbor Browns are developing a new domed facility, and other NFL teams with similarly aged venues, such as the Eagles, are also considering new ones. Paycor Stadium has been widely regarded as one of the more austere stadiums in the NFL. 

The Bengals additionally have little interest in the embrace of mixed-use development projects, as many other pro sports teams have done, or in pursuing a domed facility to attract major events throughout the year. 

“The Browns, to their credit, are getting help from the state. Good for them,” Brown said. “I just worry about our situation. We aren’t looking to build a new stadium. We think this stadium has a lot of time left. We like this stadium for our community. It fits. We’re not the biggest market in the NFL. And I don’t know that building an indoor stadium would turn out in a way that would work down here. And there are all sorts of issues with costs, hotel usage, location, a million things.”

Contract Stalemate

Hendrickson, who led the NFL in sacks last season, did not report for training camp Tuesday, as he is looking for a sizable pay increase and much more guaranteed money—particularly after recent deals such as the one between the Steelers and T.J. Watt. Hendrickson is set to earn $15.8 million in base salary this season, well below market rates for top edge rushers.

Brown said Monday, “We’re working to get Trey signed as we speak here. There are guys over in the office working to get that done. I think it’ll get done.” The owner added that “dealing with [Hendrickson] is sometimes not so easy.”

By the next morning, though, Brown’s prediction did not turn out to be true. Instead, Hendrickson posted on Instagram early Tuesday a picture that he’s still in his native Florida.

Hendrickson will be subject to daily fines of $50,000 for missing training camp.