Amidst the long contract standoff, the Bengals have finally decided to start listening to offers for DE Trey Hendrickson, as the two sides aren’t progressing towards a deal.
Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports Cincinnati has told teams they want a young defensive player and a 2026 first-round pick in exchange for the star pass rusher. Russini adds the player going back to the Bengals does not have to be a pass rusher.
Russini also believes the Bengals could have received a better pick for Hendrickson had they moved him in the spring. She also brings up the tougher salary cap obstacles of a team acquiring Hendrickson now compared to earlier this offseason.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero says no trade is imminent, but he is available for the right price. Pelissero also notes that the lack of guarantees beyond the 2025 season remains the biggest holdup in talks.
Per Pelissero, the Bengals had an offer for Hendrickson of a second-round pick and more back in April, but they didn’t engage because they wanted a first-round pick. Pelissero thinks the price “has softened or at least changed,” and said the Bengals want a player and a pick in the 2026 draft.
Because they cannot acquire a pick to replace Hendrickson right away, Pelissero believes the price has shifted away from requiring a first-round pick. He thinks something along the lines of a pass rusher and a third-round pick could be a reasonable package.
Jordan Schultz reported that the Browns, Colts, and Panthers are three teams interested in a trade. However, Schultz considers an in-state, in-division trade to a team like the Browns unlikely.
Hendrickson, 30, was selected with the No. 103 overall pick by the Saints out of Florida Atlantic in 2017. He finished his four-year rookie contract worth $3,106,288, which included a signing bonus of $706,284.
Hendrickson then signed a four-year, $60 million contract with the Bengals back in 2021 and went on to appear in the Super Bowl for the team. Cincinnati signed him to a one-year extension through 2025 in 2023.
He’s due a base salary of $15.8 million in the final year of his contract in 2025.
In 2024, Hendrickson appeared in all 17 games for the Bengals and recorded 46 total tackles, 19 tackles for loss, 17.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, and six pass defenses.
We’ll have more on Hendrickson as the news becomes available.
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