Bengals' Joe Burrow takes subtle shot at Trey Hendrickson for signing with Ravens

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May 20, 2026 - 17:28

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Injured Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) walks the field shaking hands after the NFL Week 7 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Bengals' Joe Burrow takes subtle shot at Trey Hendrickson for signing with Ravens originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Cincinnati Bengals are coming out of the 2026 NFL offseason looking like a much better team than they were in 2025, thanks in large part to a revamped defense.

With a healthy Joe Burrow, this team should be able to turn things around and return to the playoffs in 2026. But, they'll not only have to do it without Trey Hendrickson, but against the All-Pro pass rusher who signed with the Baltimore Ravens.

During a press conference ahead of Bengals OTAs, Burrow was asked about what his initial reaction was to Hendrickson signing with the rival Ravens, and his answer was very telling.

Joe Burrow throws shade at Trey Hendrickson for Ravens signing

"Not very surprising," Burrow said (around 17:00 minutes in). "Because I know Trey, I love Trey, and I just know how he operates..."

Burrow gave this answer with a bit of a smirk, so he's not exactly trashing Hendrickson like what his quote might imply without the context of the press conference.

While he's clearly not the biggest fan of Hendrickson signing with the Bengals' AFC North rival, what player would be?

After five productive years in Cincinnati, Hendrickson recorded 61 sacks, made four Pro Bowls, was a first-team All-Pro, and was a runner-up for Defensive Player of the Year.

MORE: Bengals fans should worry about second-year linebackers in 2026

Losing a player like that stings, and seeing him sign with a division rival stings a whole lot more. So, Burrow taking a shot at Hendrickson shouldn't come as that big of a surprise.

He did mention "I love Trey," but he can still feel negatively about such an important player signing with a division rival on a massive $112 million deal over four years, especially when the Bengals tried to lock him up for a while as well.

Their first matchup against one another will come in Week 7, Sunday at 1:00 p.m. Eastern in Baltimore. Then, in Week 17 on New Year's Eve, Thursday night, the Bengals will host the Ravens for Hendrickson's return for what could be a pivotal AFC North matchup.

These Bengals vs. Ravens matchups were already going to be very exciting, and now, after these comments from Burrow, the revenge matchups against Hendrickson after leaving for Baltimore are going to be a bit more important this year.