Cincinnati Bengals, Trey Hendrickson
Jason Mowry | Getty
If the Cincinnati Bengals shop Trey Hendrickson in trade talks, league sources believe he's a fit virtually anywhere.
All-Pro edge rusher Trey Hendrickson has been adamant that he won’t be playing under his current contract, and the Cincinnati Bengals remain at an impasse with their premier defensive player.
If the Bengals decide not to meet Hendrickson’s demands, after selecting one of the top edge rushers in this year’s draft class, Shemar Stewart, in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, one rival NFL executive suggests Duke Tobin and Cincinnati should expect a robust trade market.
“He’s a fit for 31 other teams,” a veteran NFC Personnel Executive tells Heavy, of Hendrickson, on the condition of anonymity to speak freely about a player on another team. “Playing a 4-3 front would help, and probably be Trey’s best fit.”
Hendrickson, 30, is coming off two consecutive 17.5-sack seasons while garnering First-Team All-Pro recognition following a stellar 2024 campaign.
If Hendrickson and the Bengals can’t work out a long-term contract, and the Bengals decide to play hard ball, testing the 6-foot-4 and 265-pound edge rusher’s resolve, Hendrickson would count upwards of $16 million against the cap in 2025.
Hendrickson sat out Bengals’ mandatory minicamp, hasn’t participated in Cincinnati’s offseason program, and his future might hinge on whether the front office values whatever asset they could get in return in a blockbuster trade more than his ability to consistently wreak havoc on opposing quarterbacks.
NFL Scout Reveals Trey Hendrickson’s Top Potential Trade Fits
Cincinnati Bengals, Trey Hendrickson
Dylan Buell | GettyTrey Hendrickson could be the most sought after edge rusher on the trade market, if the Bengals shop him.
Should the Bengals and Hendrickson’s standoff drag into training camp this summer, or beyond, into the regular season, there are a few teams where he would be an ideal fit and potentially the missing piece to push a team towards competing for Super Bowls as early as this fall.
“Off the top of my head,” an NFL scout tells me, on the condition of anonymity to speak freely about another team. “The Chargers could be a great fit, and the Rams and Cardinals would both be really good fits, too. It could come down to money if the Chargers or Rams are willing to meet Trey’s number.”
There’s a compelling case to be made for all three of the teams that the scout mentioned, especially in Arizona under a defensive-minded head coach in Jonathan Gannon during an offseason that the Cardinals have doubled down on fortifying the defense, and fit the executive’s suggested criteria.
Hendrickson led the league with 83 quarterback pressures, an area that the Cardinals are looking to bolster after finishing 14th in the league last season with 41 sacks.
As the Cardinals look to close the gap on the likes of the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers in the NFC West, Hendrickson might be the player who gets the defensive over the top.
Similarly, while schematically it might not be the best fit for Hendrickson, he has the potential to be a force multiplier on defenses on the cusp of leading their teams to taking a big step in 2025, should he land with the Chargers or the Rams.