There are two dark clouds hanging over the Cincinnati Bengals this offseason, and no surprise that both of those come from contract disputes with key players.

One of those contract disputes is with rookie Shemar Stewart, as he remains unsigned with the Bengals reportedly trying to set a new precedent in his rookie deal that the team didn't try to do with its last two first-round picks.

The bigger issue is Trey Hendrickson, the 2024 NFL sacks leader who has yet to get the pay raise he's looking for in what has become an ugly situation.

Hendrickson has also stated he won't play for Cincinnati without a new deal, and after being in attendance for OTAs as a bystander, Hendrickson did not show up to mandatory minicamp at all.

With that issue hanging over Cincinnati, quarterback Joe Burrow was asked if it was a distraction for the team. He gave a very honest answer.

"Of course," Burrow responded, per Marshall Kramsky of WCPO. "Last year we had two, this year we have one, so we do have less. You'd love to have none, but that's life in the NFL. We're all supporting Trey and we'd love for him to be back."

The two contract disputes from 2024 Burrow is talking about were with wideouts Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, both of whom were extended this offseason.

While that's all well and good, the fact that the Bengals prioritized paying significant money to an injury-prone No. 2 receiver instead of a star edge rusher, who is way more valuable, remains baffling.

Burrow has come out in support of Hendrickson on multiple occasions, and the thought is that might be enough to get the Bengals to budge.

However, things appear to only be getting worse and there is a good chance this saga ends with Hendrickson getting dealt, something Cincinnati can ill-afford to do.