It was reported early Wednesday morning that the Baltimore Ravens are signing three-time All-Pro edge rusher Trey Hendrickson to a massive four-year, $112 million contract. The former Bengals and Saints star was a highly-coveted player on the free agent market, though his situation was a little slower to develop. It seemed Hendrickson was looking for a contract in the $30 million range, when most teams were only offering $20-25 million — that is, until the Ravens swooped in late with a $28 million annual value offer.
Now, it’s official. The Ravens announced their signing of Hendrickson on social media on Thursday afternoon with an appropriate amount of excitement and anticipation.
From 2023-2024, Hendrickson made back-to-back first-team All-Pros with the Bengals, totaling 89 tackles, 35 sacks, five forced fumbles, and nine passes defensed. For his career, he has 236 tackles, 81 sacks, 15 forced fumbles, and 16 passes defensed.
“TREY HENDRICKSON IS A BALTIMORE RAVEN 
” the team’s caption reads. Trey Hendrickson is a Baltimore Raven, indeed.
The Baltimore Ravens Swapped Out Maxx Crosby for Trey Hendrickson
GettyCINCINNATI, OHIO – OCTOBER 06: Trey Hendrickson #91 of the Cincinnati Bengals motions for a safety against the Baltimore Ravens during the second quarter at Paycor Stadium on October 06, 2024 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
The elephant in the room with this signing is that it comes on the heels of the Ravens backing out of the trade they agreed to with the Raiders for edge rusher Maxx Crosby. Previously, Baltimore had agreed to a trade that sent two first-round picks, including the No. 14 pick in this draft, to Las Vegas for Crosby.
The trade was made in principal pending Crosby passing his physical. The Ravens are notoriously cautious when medically evaluating players and this isn’t the first trade or free agent signing they’ve backed out of under questionable circumstances citing a failed physical. Many around the league are claiming Baltimore just got cold feet, since Crosby’s medical status coming off meniscus repair surgery was well-documented and public knowledge.
Still, whether the Ravens just used Crosby’s physical as an excuse or if they really did find something worth flagging, it ultimately doesn’t matter. Baltimore didn’t break any league rules and they are allowed to rescind the trade.
And it makes sense for Baltimore to do this. Now, they get to sign an equally dominant pass rusher to Crosby in Hendrickson while also holding onto their first-round picks. Call it underhanded if you want — the Ravens are in a great position after these transactions.
Will Trey Hendrickson Push the Baltimore Ravens Over the Hump?
That’s the big question, right? Despite having two-time MVP QB Lamar Jackson under center and a boatload of talent on both sides of the ball, the Ravens haven’t been able to make it out of the AFC playoffs to get a shot at a Super Bowl.
To shake things up this offseason, Baltimore moved on from longtime, Super Bowl-winning HC John Harbaugh and replaced him with former Chargers DC Jesse Minter. Signing Hendrickson is the next step in the Ravens’ plan to take the leap as a team and make a serious postseason run. He’s the closer on defense they haven’t had in recent years.
Is it enough? That remains to be seen. But it is a start, and a great one at that.
Ravens Announce Big Trey Hendrickson Contract News