The Dallas Cowboys are still being linked to free-agent Trey Hendrickson
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The Dallas Cowboys are still being linked to free-agent Trey Hendrickson
First, they were in. The Dallas Cowboys were ready to make a trade for Raiders star Maxx Crosby, but that dream faded once Baltimore entered the picture with two first-rounders, but that was no big deal–Dallas was prepared to bounce back by signing Trey Hendrickson in free agency. Except that the first day of free agency passed, with the Cowboys trading for Rashan Gary and re-signing Sam Williams … and no movement on Hendrickson.
Worse, reports dribbled out of The Star that the Cowboys were not in on Hendrickson at all, that the move for Gary and keeping Williams was all they were going to do at pass-rusher, at least until the NFL draft next month.
NFL Network insider Jane Slater wrote on Twitter/X, quoting a Cowboys source: “One more update for my EDGE hopefuls. What about Trey, Mafe, Oweh you have inquired? ‘We have addressed a big need (Gary), will look to add if anything makes financial sense.’ Source adds ‘Not doubling down on a free agent high dollar edge.'”
Trey Hendrickson Still in Cowboys Speculation
Now, there is no question that Trey Hendrickson would go down as a high-dollar edge. But because he made it through Day 1 of free agency still on the market, the questions came back around for the Cowboys: What if the price lowers on Hendrickson? Certainly, now that the bulk of free-agent money has been spent, Dallas could make a bargain offer for Hendrickson.
Speculation has held that the Cowboys, Buccaneers and Jaguars could be in the mix for Hendrickson, but there’s little to say that any of those teams made firm offers. Certainly, the Cowboys would make sense if we are to believe that owner Jerry Jones every actually intended to “bust the budget” this offseason, as he claimed.
Cory Woodroof of USA Today’s For the Win! site included the Cowboys as a landing spot for Hendrickson, along with the 49ers, Commanders, Chargers and Bucs. There is sense in signing Hendrickson–but there does not seem to be the will on the Cowboys’ part.
Rashan Gary, Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers
GettyRashan Gary #52 of the Green Bay Packers was traded to the Dallas Cowboys.
Schefter: Trey Hendrickson Wants Top-of-Market Contract
In talking about Trey Hendrickson’s lack of a market, ESPN’s Adam Schefter pointed to the vicissitudes of the market. Hendrickson is talking to teams (presumably the Cowboys are in that group). It’s easy to look at Hendrickson as one of the best players at his position in the NFL, but a player’s market is only what a team is willing to give him. And Hendrickson is 31 and coming off a core surgery last year.
Said Schefter: “The issue is, you see the Houston Texans go out and give Danielle Hunter a $40 million a year extension. You see yesterday, the Carolina Panthers shock the NFL and give Jaelan Phillips $30 million a year. Trey Hendrickson sees himself in the company of those kinds of players. And so you would think there would be a corresponding contract in that vicinity.
But if there’s not a team out there that’s willing to give you $40—or $30 million—sometimes it takes a player a little bit of time to understand how the market works like that and to accept that. … Right now he is talking to a bunch of teams, but nobody has met his price just yet. He is a very strong-minded prideful person. He wants to get his price. Until he gets his price, he is not willing to compromise on that.”
Cowboys Really Passing on ‘One of the Most Productive Pass Rushers in the NFL’?
That’s where the Cowboys are. Perhaps they’d have interest in Hendrickson, but they are not going to pay $30 million-plus for him.
Again, that’s probably not fair to Hendrickson. Whether it is the Cowboys or someone else, he may well be a bargain. He was the No. 1 free agent at Pro Football Focus and the Athletic. And The Athletic had this to say about him:
“Hendrickson has been one of the most productive pass rushers in the NFL over the past five seasons. He has the third-most sacks in the league since 2020 with 74.5, and he played in only seven games last season due to a core-muscle injury that required surgery. Hendrickson plays with a relentless, urgent motor … He turns the corner and finishes with a straight-line burst, always hunting for the ball.”