The Cincinnati Bengals entered this offseason with contract issues all over their roster, and they resolved two of them by locking up Ja'Marr Chase on a four-year, $161 million deal (making him the highest-paid wideout in the league) and Tee Higgins on a four-year, $115 million contract.
With those two massive deals now on the books (along with quarterback Joe Burrow's five-year, $275 million extension he signed in 2023), the Bengals still have one important decision, and that's regarding superstar defensive end Trey Hendrickson's future.
On Friday, Sportsnaut's Matt Johnson identified Hendrickson as a player who could be traded during the 2025 NFL draft.
Hendrickson, 31, played collegiately at Florida Atlantic from 2013-16, earning C-USA Defensive Player of the Year honors in his final season with the Owls.
The New Orleans Saints selected him in the third round (No. 103 overall) of the 2017 NFL draft, and while he originally started as a rotational piece of their defense, he eventually took on a starting role in his final season with the club in 2020.
In 2021, Hendrickson inked a four-year, $60 million deal with the Bengals, and he's been one of the best edge rushers in the league since then, making four Pro Bowls and earning All-Pro honors once. Since his final season in New Orleans, he has the third most sacks of any player in the NFL (only behind fellow AFC North pass-rushers T.J. Watt and Myles Garrett).
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With Hendrickson set to enter the last year of his current deal, which was a one-year extension with a $15.8 million base salary and $200,000 in per-game roster bonuses, he's looking for long-term stability.
Cincinnati has permitted Hendrickson and his representation to seek a trade this offseason, and after the Higgins and Chase deals, it doesn't feel like the Bengals are going to make him a great offer.
They could send Hendrickson elsewhere and pick up more draft capital, or trade him along with one of their picks to move up (even in the first round). If they can find another talented edge rusher in the draft (and there are plenty), trading him may be worth it.
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