The opening day of NFL free agency has come and gone, and Cincinnati Bengals three-time All-Pro edge rusher Trey Hendrickson is still looking for his new home. The Bengals declined to use the franchise tag on Hendrickson after they retained him in 2025, setting him up to hit the open market for the second time in his career. While he’s undeniably the top pass rusher available in free agency, so far there’s been little word on where he might end up.
A former third-round pick out of Florida Atlantic by the Saints in 2018, Hendrickson was a part-time player early in his career before having a breakout season with 14 sacks in 2020. He signed a massive contract with the Bengals in 2021, totaling 57 sacks over the next four seasons before injuries sapped his effectiveness in 2025.
For his career, Hendrickson has 236 tackles, 81 sacks, 15 forced fumbles, and 16 passes defensed.
NFL Insider on the ‘Issue’ with Cincinnati Bengals ED Trey Hendrickson’s Market
GettyINGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 17: B.J. Hill #92 and Trey Hendrickson #91 of the Cincinnati Bengals wait in the tunnel before the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium on November 17, 2024 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
On Tuesday morning, ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter appeared on the Get Up morning show to discuss the free agency landscape: what’s already happened and what’s still to come. Host Mike Greenburg asked him directly about Hendrickson’s market.
“Well here’s the situation, [Greenburg],” Schefter said. “He’s been in contact with a number of teams right now. The issue I think is this: you see the Houston Texans go out and give Danielle Hunter a $40 million a year extension. You see yesterday, the Carolina Panthers shock the NFL and give Jaelan Phillips $30 million 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, 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 [million], you might not get $40 [million],” Schefter continued. “Just because Jaelan Phillips gets $30 [million] doesn’t mean you get $30 [million]. And 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.”
The Cincinnati Bengals Made Some Excellent Moves on Day 1 of Free Agency
It wasn’t the splashiest day for the Bengals, but Cincinnati made a pair of excellent defensive signings on Monday that should help them get better on defense right away.
Cincinnati signed former Seahawks ED Boye Mafe to a three-year, $60 million deal to become their top pass rusher, infusing some juice to that defensive line. The Bengals also signed former Chiefs S Bryan Cook to a three-year, $40 million deal to patrol the middle of the field.
Trey Hendrickson News: Insider Warns of ‘Issue’ for Bengals Edge Rusher