Amid defensive end Trey Hendrickson's trade request, quarterback Joe Burrow still hopes that his teammate's negotiations with the Bengals can resume.
Burrow spoke about the team's history of ramping up negotiations as the regular season approaches.
"I think, historically, these deals with us get done closer to Week 1," Burrow told reporters after Monday night's preseason game against Washington, via Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer. "I signed the Thursday before the first game. The negotiations with Ja'Marr [Chase] started to pick up steam, you know, that week before too. We managed to get deals done with Tee [Higgins] and Ja'Marr earlier this year, which was great. But I think, historically, the way we've done business is that it tends to get better here in the next couple of weeks, so we'll see."
Burrow was clear in saying that closing these deals earlier -- like what happened with Higgins and Chase -- is the best path, since a player who drags contract talks for too long might not be ready to play in Week 1.
Meanwhile, reports from The Athletic and NFL Network say the four-time Pro Bowler could be traded, with the New England Patriots listed as the main suitor.
Hendrickson skipped the entire offseason program and did not participate in training camp, which makes it urgent to resolve his situation quickly if he's going to be ready to play in Week 1.