Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson might have provided a seemingly good sign by being in the local area lately, but his contract standoff is far from over.

Hendrickson is in Cincinnati and the lines of communication with the Bengals are back open. But the same factors, like his age, asking price and perceived/alleged lack of proper communication and past promises linger.

Outside market factors play a huge role too, which is why former sports agent Joel Corry at CBS Sports broke down why the Bengals need to do a deal right now:

“The Bengals should be looking to get ahead of any additional changes with pass rushers that are foreseeable. The edge rusher market should continue to escalate before the regular season starts in September thanks to Micah Parsons and Watt. It’s just a matter of time before the Cowboys pay Parsons at the top of the market. Aidan Hutchinson getting a contract extension from the Detroit Lions is also a possibility.

A strong deal by Watt, in particular, will complicate matters between Hendrickson and the Bengals. There is about a two-month age gap with Hendrickson, as Watt turns 31 in October.”

Of course, Hendrickson and his reps know this, too. Bengals fans surely remember Ja’Marr Chase waiting around on a contract extension while others reset the market first, too. Maybe that wasn’t explicitly said, but it’s just smart business.

One could debate for a long time whether the Bengals will care at all about what the Steelers do with T.J. Watt or otherwise. The fact Hendrickson was permitted to seek a trade and couldn’t find one, though, continues to hint that the Bengals hold most of the leverage, regardless.

As always, it feels like the two sides meeting roughly halfway on money and years will mean the Bengals eventually get Hendrickson in camp on a new contract.