Bengals DE Trey Hendrickson‘s current contract is set to expire when the new league year starts on March 11th.
It was previously reported that Cincinnati didn’t rule out using the franchise tag on Hendrickson, which is projected to cost $27,322,000 for the 2026 season for DEs.
Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports the Bengals are not expected to make a decision on Hendrickson before the upcoming combine. Cincinnati will use that time to gauge interest around the league in Hendrickson to better understand his value.
Conway believes the Bengals have three options with Hendrickson: franchise tag and trade him, let him walk to free agency or use the franchise tag with the hope he will play on it in 2026.
Should they explore a trade, a high-ranking rival NFL personnel member told the Cincinnati Enquirer it’s unlikely a team would be willing to give up more than a third-round pick, especially given the potential depth at the position in free agency.
Hendrickson held out the whole offseason and into training camp while seeking a long-term deal that he felt fairly reflected his production over the last few years. Ultimately, the two sides compromised on a one-year raise to keep him in Cincinnati for the season.
He picked up a core injury in Week 6 and re-aggravated it when trying to play through it in Week 8. He ultimately wasn’t able to return from the injury.
Hendrickson, 31, 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 was due a base salary of $15.8 million in the final year of his contract in 2025 when he and the team agreed to a $14 million raise to resolve a holdout.
In 2025, Hendrickson appeared in seven games for the Bengals, recording 16 total tackles, four sacks, one forced fumble and a pass deflection.
We have him included in our Top 100 – 2026 NFL Free Agents.
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