This offseason, the Cincinnati Bengals moved on from star pass rusher Trey Hendrickson after the team allowed him to reach free agency.
Hendrickson joined the Cincinnati Bengals prior to the 2021 season and over a five-year period he became perhaps the best free agent signing in franchise history. Unfortunately, things took a downturn during the final years of Hendrickson’s tenure with the team as he was not given the contract extension he desired.
His last season was marked with injuries and a decrease in production during the games where he was available. While Cincinnati went on a spending spree in free agency, it became clear early on that both Hendrickson and the Bengals were ready to move on.
However, what then occurred was maybe Bengals fans’ worst nightmare as the star player signed with the division rival Baltimore Ravens.
Former Cincinnati Bengals All-Pro Trey Hendrickson Called Out After Baltimore Struggles
Entering the season, the Baltimore Ravens were the division favorites in the AFC North despite Cincinnati’s aggressive offseason.
Hendrickson was Baltimore’s biggest offseason signing as the former Cincinnati Bengals All-Pro signed a four-year, $112 million contract with $60 million guaranteed.
For Baltimore, the 2026 season has been somewhat of a disaster. The team is last in the division at 4-5, its MVP quarterback, Lamar Jackson, is expected to miss most of the season, and the Hendrickson signing has not panned out so far.
The Ringer’s Danny Heifetz said of Hendrickson, “Trey Hendrickson has quietly been awful. Not unplayable, but he’s been bad. He’s had a hand injury that made him worse in run defense. He’s not been good for them.”
In seven games this season, Hendrickson has registered two sacks, 10 total tackles, and two tackles for loss. Hendrickson appeared in only seven games for the Bengals during the 2025 season, but registered four sacks. Hendrickson is currently the 53rd overall edge defender according to Pro Football Focus.
Trey Hendrickson’s Departure
Among the reasons the Bengals allowed Hendrickson to walk in free agency was the third-round compensatory pick Cincinnati is set to receive. However, the team nearly mismanaged that situation recently.
At the trade deadline, the Bengals agreed to trade for Eagles pass rusher Arnold Ebiketie, only to back out of the trade hours later.
BengalsWire’s Chris Roling explained how Hendrickson affected Cincinnati being unable to acquire Ebiketie: “The deal would’ve hurt the Bengals in the compensatory draft pick formula, ultimately costing them the third-round pick they’re set to gain for the loss of Hendrickson in free agency last offseason.
Confused? So were the Bengals, it seems. They pulled out of the trade for this reason. Based on the projections, the Bengals signed two players last offseason who weighed on the formula (Bryan Cook, Boye Mafe) and lost three (Hendrickson, Joseph Ossai and Noah Fant).
Long story short, Ebiketie would have canceled out Hendrickson, whose mega-contract in Baltimore put him in the third-round pick bracket.”
Ex-Bengals Star Trey Hendrickson Called Out: ‘Quietly Been Awful’