Trey Hendrickson will face the Cincinnati Bengals for the first time on Sunday, and the Baltimore Ravens pass rusher spent his Thursday news conference refusing to make the game about himself. “It’s not about me. It’s about the team,” he said. “This isn’t an individual sport.”
Hendrickson spent five seasons in Cincinnati, from 2021 to 2025, after starting his career in New Orleans. His last years with the Bengals were marked by a long contract dispute, and in March he signed a four-year, $112 million deal with Baltimore. The Ravens (4-2) host the Bengals (3-2) on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET (8 p.m. in Cairo). The Ravens posted the full session on their YouTube channel.
“As a Christian, I forgive”
Asked about people who say there was bad blood when he left Cincinnati, Hendrickson answered: “Well, as a Christian, I forgive. And obviously, I move on. And there’s wonderful times that I had there.” He said there will be a time to reflect on all of it, “but right now, there’s an opponent in front of us.”
He gave a similar answer when asked how he looks back on his time with the Bengals. “When my career is over, I’m going to do a lot of looking back,” he said. “New Orleans won a lot of football games. Cincinnati won a lot of football games. I look forward to winning a lot of football games here.”
Asked about the emotions of the week, he pointed to the rivalry rather than his own history. “It’s a division rival, so there’s a lot to that,” Hendrickson said. “The Ravens-Bengals history will go on long after my career, and it happened long before I was playing football. So it’s something unique, and I’m excited to be a part of.” He said he has friends all over the league and “a lot of respect for the talent they have in that building,” but that he keeps communication “pretty much in-house” during the season.
Chasing Joe Burrow
Hendrickson practiced against Joe Burrow for five years without being allowed to hit him. Asked whether he is excited to finally have the chance, he said: “I think we’re wearing the shield, right? We’re in the National Football League, and the opportunity to play and sack a quarterback is something I’ve been able to do for the last 10 years. So that hunger and desire is something that’s not quenched, and I’m continuing that pursuit.”
He also played down the idea that he can give the Ravens extra inside information. “They’re trying to get better like I am,” he said. “I’m not the same player I was five years ago, in the same way that I won’t be that five years in the future.” He added that the Bengals self-scout just as Baltimore does.
Asked whether there is extra motivation because it is his old team, Hendrickson said there is not. “I feel like if there was extra in the tank, I would feel like I let them down the other games,” he said. “I try to pour the best Trey Hendrickson out every game, win or loss. That’s been my approach for the last 10 years, and I don’t think I’m going to change now.”
The finger
Hendrickson missed two games earlier this month after a procedure on a broken finger on his right hand, and he said he is still managing it. “You get to a point where you just don’t let yourself feel as much as you do,” he said. “I have a job to do and I’m going to do that.” Away from football, he said, the hardest part is writing. “It’s a little frustrating to take notes. It’s my right hand, I was born right-handed,” he said. “But again, it’s a part of the process. Control what you can control and give it all you got.”
Hendrickson has two sacks in four games for Baltimore, including one in last Sunday’s 13-10 loss at Cleveland. He led the NFL with 17.5 sacks in 2024, after also posting 17.5 in 2023, and was limited to seven games last season by a core muscle injury.
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