Trey Hendrickson
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CLEVELAND, OHIO - SEPTEMBER 07: Trey Hendrickson #91 of the Cincinnati Bengals plays against the Cleveland Browns at Huntington Bank Field on September 07, 2025 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
The Chicago Bears have yet to sign a pass rusher during free agency, and a lot of fans are wondering if there’s a possibility the team goes after Cincinnati Bengals free agent pass rusher Trey Hendrickson.
He’s highly regarded as this year’s top FA edge rusher, and Daniel Popper of The Athletic has Hendrickson projected to sign a three-year, $99 million deal ($33M APY). That’s a huge asking price for a 31-year-old pass rusher, and according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, he isn’t budging off a ridiculous asking price.
Bears Receive Major FA Update on Trey Hendrickson
Joining GetUpESPN on March 10th, Schefter provided an update on Hendrickson’s situation.
“The issue I think is this. You see the Houston Texans go out and give Danielle Hunter a 40 million dollar a year extension. You see yesterday the Carolina Panthers go out and give Jaelan Phillips a 30 million dollars 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 dollars, sometimes it takes a player a little bit of time to understand how the market works like that and to accept that just because Danielle Hunter might get 40, you might not get 40. Just because Jaelan Phillips gets 30, doesn’t mean you get 30. So right now he’s talking to a bunch of teams but nobody has met his price just yet, and he’s a very strong-minded, prideful person. He wants to get his price and until he feels like he does, he’s not willing to compromise on that.”
Well, if that’s the case, and Hendrickson wants 30-40 million dollars per year, the Bears should not be interested. It’s too steep a price to pay for a guy who’s past his prime.
Hunter’s only getting $40M for one year, and Phillips is five years younger than Hendrickson. If he realizes that teams won’t cave in and give him the type of annual salary he’s looking for, then things can change in the Bears’ favor if he lowers his asking price.
Get Up
.@AdamSchefter gives an update on Trey Hendrickson during NFL free agency 🏈
Bears Insider Brad Biggs Comments on Hendrickson
Just before the start of free agency, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune gave his thoughts on why Chicago likely won’t go after Hendrickson during free agency, before Schefter commented on his asking price.
“I don’t think they”re in the Trey Hendrickson sweepstakes. It just doesn’t make real good sense to me at this point. You understand the dangers of free agency and where teams can make mistakes and we’ve certainly seen over the years, the Bears make more than their fair share of mistakes in free agency. A lot of people believe that if you’re gonna make that splash move, if you’re gonna really look for that jolt in free agency, you’re trying to sign that guy that’s going into Year 5, maybe Year 6. The guy that’s in the sweet spot of his career. Trey Hendrickson heading into Year 10, I don’t think that’s the best move for them.”
Hendrickson isn’t the only solution to the Bears’ issues on the defensive line. Other options in free agency will be significantly cheaper and less risky, although they won’t be as productive as Hendrickson, and there’s always the draft.
Regardless, it’s hard to envision Chicago making a major move to sign Hendrickson, given his financial demands and age.