Trey Hendrickson: Everything you need to know

Hendrickson (hip/pelvis) is slated to sign a four-year, $112 million contract with the Ravens, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports. After a trade agreement that would have sent star defensive end Maxx Crosby (from the Raiders) to the Ravens in exchange for two first-round picks fell apart, it didn't take long for the team to pivot to adding another impact pass rusher. Hendrickson is recovering from December core-muscle surgery, but he'll presumably be past the issue once Baltimore's offseason program begins. In seven games with the Bengals in 2025, the 31-year-old recorded 16 tackles and four sacks, but in both of the two seasons prior to that Hendrickson racked up 17.5 sacks.

The Bengals will not place the franchise tag on Hendrickson (hip/pelvis) by Tuesday's 4:00 p.m. ET deadline, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. Hendrickson held out in advance of the 2025 campaign before agreeing to terms on a raise that boosted his salary to $30 million, but Cincinnati will now allow the veteran pass rusher to reach free agency. Injuries limited Hendrickson to just even regular-season appearances in 2025, in which span he tallied only 16 tackles (11 solo) including 4.0 sacks, plus one pass defensed and one forced fumble. Still, Hendrickson played all 17 regular-season games in both 2023 and 2024 and tallied 17.5 sacks each of those years, a demonstrable ceiling that will make the 31-year-old defensive end one of the top available free agent son the open market. He's recovering from core-muscle surgery undergone early December, but may already be fully healthy as that procedure carried only a six-week recovery timeframe.

The Bengals placed Hendrickson (hip/pelvis) on injured reserve Thursday. Hendrickson's placement on IR officially rules him out for the remainder of the regular season. The standout defensive end is slated to undergo core-muscle surgery that will carry a six-week recovery timetable due to the lingering injury that's prevented him from suiting up since Week 8. Across seven regular-season appearances in 2025, Hendrickson tallied 16 tackles (including 4.0 sacks), one forced fumble and one pass defensed. He's set to become a free agent this offseason.