The Cincinnati Bengals are not placing the franchise tag on star pass rusher Trey Hendrickson, per NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport. That will clear the way for Hendrickson to become an unrestricted free agent for the second time in his career.
After contentious contract discussions last offseason and trade rumors that persisted through the start of training camp, Hendrickson agreed to a reworked deal to return to Cincinnati. An injury-plagued 2025 campaign led to Hendrickson playing in just seven games and totaling four sacks. In 2024, he led the NFL with 17.5 sacks, a total that matched his output from 2023. He should be one of the most sought-after defenders in free agency when it begins next week.
Given how things played out toward the end of his tenure in Cincinnati, a return to the Bengals is unlikely. The four-time Pro Bowler was a first-team All-Pro in 2024 and the runner-up for the Defensive Player of the Year award won by Patrick Surtain II.
Hendrickson originally signed with the Bengals ahead of the 2021 season after four years with the New Orleans Saints, who selected him in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft out of FAU. For his career, Hendrickson has totaled 81 sacks, 236 total tackles, 74 tackles for a loss and 16 passes defensed.
In five seasons in Cincinnati, Hendrickson had 61 sacks and was a key cog to their defense. He had 14 sacks in 2021 when Cincinnati made a run to the Super Bowl and has been one of the best pass-rushers in football over that span.
Hendrickson recently came in at No. 6 on NFL Network’s list of the top 101 free agents, and should be at the top of the EDGE market along with the Philadelphia Eagles’ Jaelan Phillips and the Los Angeles Chargers’ Khalil Mack. While a return to Cincinnati is unlikely for Hendrickson, that doesn’t mean he’ll leave the AFC North. The Baltimore Ravens are in the market for an EDGE rusher after trading away Odafe Oweh during the 2025 season, and they could be a team that has interest in Hendrickson now that he’s on the open market.
But it should be a robust market for Hendrickson, although he will turn 32 during next season. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him land with a contender such as Baltimore, the Detroit Lions, Buffalo Bills or San Francisco 49ers, as all four of those teams are seeking pass-rush help this offseason.
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