The writing appears to be on the wall. The odds of Trey Hendrickson signing an extension to stay in Cincinnati have become increasingly unlikely with each passing day. He most recently vowed that he had no intentions of playing out the final year of his deal. Needless to say, it’s gotten a bit messy.
Would you believe it if I told you the Bengals still have the ninth-most projected cap space next year? If you know who their owner is, you probably would. The Bengals have notoriously been the league’s most frugal franchise since Mike Brown began running the show in 1991.
Hendrickson may be on the wrong side of 30, but he still has plenty left in the tank. In fact, he is coming off back-to-back 17.5 sack seasons. Players of his caliber are rarely available via trade or through free agency.
While no one questions how good of a player he is, there are some questions about his potential suitors. The fact that a team would have to trade premium draft capital and immediately sign him to a near-top-of-the-market deal is a non-starter for many teams. However, there are a few teams that stand out as potential options for the reigning sack king.
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders might not have a glaring need at the defensive end spot, but they could certainly benefit from some added juice on the other side of Maxx Crosby. Enter Trey Hendrickson, who would immediately give them the league’s premier pass-rushing duo. The addition would also allow them to deploy Malcolm Koonce as a situational pass-rusher and give them one of the most potent units in the league.
The Raiders still have over $28 million at their disposal this season and are projected to have roughly $95 million next year. That’s more than enough to play ball. They are also still looking for their defensive identity, and trading for Hendrickson would quickly help them to find it.
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals added a few pieces to their defensive front this offseason. After signing Josh Sweat to a 4 year, $76.4 million deal this offseason, they also drafted defensive tackle Walter Nolen in the first round last month. They attacked their greatest weakness and effectively turned it into a strength. However, Sweat has never had to be the top pass-rusher in Philadelphia, and it remains to be seen if he can still thrive with the added attention of being that guy in the desert.
It remains to be seen who will start opposite of Sweat, but the two most likely candidates are third-year man BJ Ojulari, who missed all of last year with a torn ACL, or 2024 first-round pick Darius Robinson, who had only one sack in six games as a rookie. You could argue that it’s too early to give up on either of them, but you can’t really say they would be much better off with a sure thing in Hendrickson.
Washington Commanders
Washington has already made two blockbuster trades this offseason, so what’s one more?? The Commanders added Javon Kinlaw this offseason and have incredible depth at the defensive tackle position. With that in mind, they still have a glaring lack of talent at defensive end, where Dorance Armstrong and Deatrich Wise Jr. are slated to start. They clearly won’t be scaring anyone off the edges. Hendrickson would not only instantly change that, but he would also help get the most out of everyone else along the line.
An important caveat regarding the potential of a Hendrickson trade? The Commanders don’t have a second or fourth-round pick next year. They would have to be creative to pull off a move. However, they do have $64 million to work with next year, so they wouldn’t have any issues resigning him if they did so.
Green Bay Packers
The Packers are still waiting for Lukas Van Ness to take the next step. I don’t know about you, but I think they will have to keep waiting. Rashan Gary is an impactful player who does not need to be replaced anytime soon, but they are also still waiting for him to have his first double-digit sack season. Do you know how they could help him take the next step into the upper echelon of pass-rushers? Get him a quality sidekick.
Trey Hendrickson would turn a question mark into an exclamation point. He would immediately fortify their pass-rush and solidify their front seven. They need to make some cap space to pull off the move, as they currently are projected to be $8 million in the red. However, it would be a great move if they pulled it off.
Chicago Bears
The Bears significantly improved the talent along their defensive line this offseason. With that said, they could still be a big player in the Trey Hendrickson sweepstakes. They added a lot of talent along the interior but could be an elite pass-rusher away from fielding a championship-level defense (unless they think Dayo Odeyingbo or Shemar Turner can lock down the other defensive end spot opposite Montez Sweat).
The Bears are another team that would have to make some cap space if they wanted to keep Hendrickson in the Windy City long-term. With that said, they could save $15.5 million by cutting Tremaine Edmunds and $7 million by cutting D’Andre Swift if it came down to a situation where they needed to make space.
