Trey Hendrickson
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ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the Cincinnati Bengals elected not to place the franchise tag on edge rusher Trey Hendrickson.
If the Detroit Lions want to add edge rusher Trey Hendrickson, he will be available in 2026 NFL free agency.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Tuesday afternoon the Bengals are not placing any sort of franchise tag on Hendrickson. With that decision, the veteran edge rusher will become an unrestricted free agent.
The NFL’s legal tampering period will begin on Monday, March 9. Teams can begin officially signing free agents at 4 pm ET on Wednesday, March 11.
Rumors have linked the Lions to Hendrickson for quite some time.
But those have always been trade rumors. This offseason, Hendrickson will reach the open market at the start of the league’s new year.
Hendrickson has been one of the NFL’s best edge rushers this decade. From 2021-24, he made the Pro Bowl every season.
During 2024, Hendrickson led the NFL with 17.5 sacks and posted 19 tackles for loss with 36 quarterback hits. Behind those statistics, he made first-team All-Pro.
Last season, Hendrickson had four sacks, three tackles for loss and eight quarterback hits in seven contests.