If facing his former Cincinnati Bengals stirs up feelings of revenge or anything alike within Trey Hendrickson, he sure isn't sharing them.
Hendrickson spent the past five seasons wearing orange and black. He racked up 61 sacks, the fourth most of any player in the NFL from 2021-25.
But when it came time for a long-term contract extension, the Bengals looked the other way. Hendrickson aired his grievances, the Bengals granted him permission to seek a trade, and ultimately, after an injury-shortened season last year, the two parted ways.
The rival Ravens were waiting with open arms and opened their checkbook to give Hendrickson the biggest contract they've ever handed a free agent.
At his introductory press conference with the Ravens, Hendrickson was asked about whether facing the Bengals twice a year factored into his decision to come to Baltimore. "Not much," he said.
Hendrickson's tune didn't change now that he's just three days away from his first matchup against his former team.
He faced a barrage of questions about his emotions facing the Bengals, his opportunity to sack Joe Burrow, his time in Cincinnati, and whether there's any "bad blood." Whatever the opposite of bulletin-board material is, that's how Hendrickson answered.
Here's a sample of Hendrickson's answers:
"It's the National Football League. Each win is important to this organization, and it's a division rival. So, there's a lot to that. 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 it."
"When my career is over, I'm going to do a lot of looking back. There was a phase I was in 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."
"We're wearing the shield, right? You'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 in that pursuit."
"I feel like if there was extra in the tank, I would feel like I let them down the other games. So, 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."
"As a Christian, I forgive, and obviously I move on. And there were wonderful times that I had there. Like I said, there will be a time to reflect and all that stuff, but right now there's an opponent in front of us. As the Ravens, we look forward to capitalizing on everything that we can this week."
Hendrickson's teammates did some talking for him on Wednesday. Linebacker Trenton Simpson predicted a multi-sack game. Veteran defensive lineman Calais Campbell said he wants said he'll play off whatever Hendrickson wants to do because he wants to "put him in position to be able to make some plays … against his old team."
"I would like him to be able to have a day where [the Bengals] miss him," Campbell said. "That's kind of what you want when you're a player in this league."
The Ravens have Hendrickson's back and he's had theirs.
While he missed two games after getting a procedure to fix a broken finger suffered in his Ravens debut, Hendrickson has two sacks in four games and leads the team with 20 pressures, per Pro Football Focus.
His hand is wrapped, giving him just three fingers on his right hand to work with, but he's still playing at a high level and gutting through the pain.
"You get to a point where you just don't let yourself feel as much as you'd expect," Hendrickson said. "I have a job to do, and I'm going to do that."
Defensive Coordinator Anthony Weaver said Hendrickson will have "more incentive" for the Ravens to prevail Sunday, but that it's not just Hendrickson going against the Bengals. It's going to take a collectively strong game from an improving Ravens defense to hold down a Cincinnati's talented offense.
There's no doubt that Hendrickson wants to have a game to remember Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium. He hopes to point up to the heavens in celebration and gratitude multiple times after sacks.
But Hendrickson isn't going to make it about himself.
"We're a team. This isn't an individual sport," Hendrickson said. "It's about the team and what I can bring and what they can bring, and what we can collectively do as a unit. I think that's what makes football special, and I'm looking forward to it Sunday."
