Burrow: Bengals' contract trouble 'disappointing'

CINCINNATI -- In a cleanable satellite for backmost Joe Burrow, the Bengals would person already wrapped up each outstanding declaration issues earlier grooming campy started Wednesday.

But erstwhile the Bengals took the field, a mates notable names were missing. Defensive extremity Trey Hendrickson is distant from the squad arsenic helium seeks a semipermanent deal, and first-round rookie Shemar Stewart is 1 the past remaining unsigned draught picks.

For yet different year, it's an contented the Bengals are trying to navigate astir arsenic they hole for the commencement of the upcoming season.

"Obviously disappointing," Burrow said. "You'd similar to person each your guys retired determination Day 1 to effort to physique that cohesion that I was talking astir earlier, but that's not however it usually works out.

"You know, it's a business," the backmost said earlier pausing and profoundly sighing. "And that is however it's gone."

Burrow said helium has been successful connection with Hendrickson, a 2024 All-Pro enactment and the NFL's sack person past season. Bengals manager Zac Taylor, who spoke earlier practice, said helium did not privation to disclose whether helium had immoderate connection with the four-time Pro Bowler.

When the team's veterans were acceptable to study for grooming campy Tuesday, Hendrickson posted a photograph connected Instagram that showed helium was successful Florida, wherever helium lives. He told ESPN's Adam Schefter that helium was not going to report.

Earlier successful the week, Bengals president Mike Brown said the squad had offered Hendrickson a caller declaration and that helium believed the Bengals prima merited a raise. However, Hendrickson told Schefter that the squad was not consenting to supply guaranteed wealth aft the archetypal twelvemonth of the caller deal, which has been a diagnostic successful contracts for different salient walk rushers this offseason.

Hendrickson's lack did not drawback Taylor by surprise, with the manager saying helium "had a consciousness that mightiness happen."

Burrow spoke connected some sides of the concern for Hendrickson and Stewart. He understands the concern facet that some players are dealing with and however that is portion and parcel of being successful the NFL.

"Nobody's ever gonna responsibility the subordinate for doing concern however helium feels helium needs to," Burrow said. "It's cutthroat business. You gotta combat for everything you tin get. That's however it goes."

However, erstwhile asked whether each broadside of those negotiations should explicit much urgency to resoluteness those matters, Burrow didn't disagree with that notion.

"The earlier you get these things done, the better," Burrow said.

In the archetypal grooming campy practice, the defence didn't endure without Hendrickson oregon Stewart. They had plentifulness of bully moments against Cincinnati's starting discourtesy for the full greeting session.

It somewhat reinforced Taylor's content that the prolonged treatment astir the declaration holdouts has not been a distraction for the team.

"It's newsworthy, certainly," Taylor said. "The guys that person been successful the locker room, they conscionable privation to spell instrumentality attraction of business. It does not travel up for us. I recognize successful [media] settings it's going to travel up. But for us, it doesn't travel up."