With the Cincinnati Bengals giving Trey Hendrickson permission to seek a trade, the natural reaction for Bengals fans is to wonder who could trade for him and what possible return they could get for him.
Here are five teams that would make sense:
Chicago Bears
Chicago is looking to capitalize on their rookie contract window with who they feel is their franchise quarterback in Caleb Williams. With a recent trade for Joe Thuney, Chicago looks like they will be active this offseason.
Dennis Allen is also their defensive coordinator. Allen coached Hendrickson with the New Orleans Saints before he came to Cincinnati so that familiarity could entice Chicago to pull the trigger. With eight picks in this year’s NFL Draft, Chicago could be motivated to move draft picks to put Hendrickson opposite Montez Sweat.
Indianapolis Colts
A reunion with Lou Anarumo could be in play. With $35 million in cap space as of this posting, Indianapolis could swing a trade for Hendrickson, make a lot of his 2025 salary a bonus, and still be players in free agency.
Could the Bengals pull Quenton Nelson away from the Colts to address their needs at guard? If they are able to get Nelson, they will likely look at a late-round pick alongside him.
New England Patriots
New England has plenty of needs and boasts the most salary cap space in the NFL, with $118,100,735 free to spend. New Head Coach Mike Vrabel has a defensive background,d and the Patriots have plenty of needs all around.
New England only has six picks in this year’s draft, but a team in need of a full rebuild could opt to send a day-two draft pick out to gain an experienced starter coming off of a career year.
Detroit Lions
Detroit was actively looking to improve their pass rush around the trade deadline after Aidan Hutchinson went down. Even with Hutchinson set to return, Detroit could use some of their $48,863,989 in cap space to pair the two together. Za’Darius Smith is there but left something to be desired after he was traded from the Cleveland Browns.
Detroit has six picks in this year’s draft, and with the team seemingly in “win now” mode, they could be compelled to trade a pick or two for a proven star.
Los Angeles Chargers
After releasing Joey Bosa while Khalil Mack gets set to hit free agency, the Chargers have a major need on the edge. They’re also coming off a playoff trip, so it feels like they could be a few big moves away from becoming a legitimate contender in the AFC. And with a first-round pick down at No. 22, they may be willing to part with it to get a surefire guy like Hendrickson.
Maybe the Bengals sweeten it by trading Hendrickson and a fourth-round pick for pick 22.
Atlanta Falcons
While Jessie Bates continues to play at a Pro Bowl level in the secondary, the Falcons are in desperate need of a star in the front seven after having a defense that was arguably worse than the Bengals.
Atlanta is also among the NFL teams reportedly keeping tabs on Hendrickson, so we already know there’s some level of interest there.
Washington Commanders
Along with Atlanta, the Commanders are the other team that’s been linked to Hendrickson thus far. Coming off an NFC Championship Game appearance with franchise quarterback Jayden Daniels on his rookie contract, now is the time to go all-in with a move like this.
Washington is also one of the few teams who may be willing to trade a first-round pick for Hendrickson since it’s all the way at No. 29.
Los Angeles Rams
The Rams struck gold with Jared Verse, and Hendrickson could be the perfect compliment to him on LA’s defensive line. The Rams are no stranger to trading draft picks for impact players. They did it in 2021, and they netted a Super Bowl victory over the Bengals.
After a couple of lean years, they are right back to the playoffs. With Matthew Stafford back in the fold, they could be ready to go all-in one more time. With eight draft picks and $52,531,702 in cap space, they could make a trade without thinking twice.
Are there any other potential landing spots you see for Hendrickson? Let us know in the comments.