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Trey Hendrickson may finally be able to get the long-term contract he has been seeking since last offseason, as the Cincinnati Bengals did not use the franchise tag on the star defensive end.
Hendrickson said goodbye to fans following Tuesday’s 4 p.m. ET NFL deadline, which marked the end of the ability for teams to place a franchise tag on players.
“To the organization: thank you for the opportunity to play the game I love at the highest level,” he wrote in his Instagram caption. “The last five years have been filled with great victories and tough defeats. Personal achievements and humbling adversities.
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Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson (91) raises his finger after a defensive stop with four seconds left in the second half of an NFL football game. The Cincinnati Bengals defeated the Denver Broncos 15-10 at Empower Field in Denver, Colorado on December 19, 2021. (Albert Cesare / The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
“I was and always will be proud to have worn the Cincinnati Bengals logo and honored the history behind it.”
The Bengals never ruled out the possibility of tagging Hendrickson to try to sign him once again, or at the very least, acquire some draft capital through a trade with another team.
But Duke Tobin, the Bengals’ director of player personnel, said at the NFL Scouting Combine last week that the latter option is not as simple as it seems.
“You have to find a partner, you have to cooperate with your players. Trades can be complicated,” Tobin said, according to ESPN.
Hendrickson also would have cost the Bengals $30.2 million if they had put the tag on him for this season. At the same time, the complicated contractual situation of the Bengals and Hendrickson comes to an end, as he will look to find a new team next week.
Last offseason was a different story, as the Bengals let him figure out what they could get in return in a potential trade — a pretty strange request to present to the player himself. Hendrickson was the league’s sack leader (17.5) in 2024, and was looking to get paid as such.
Trey Hendrickson #91 of the Cincinnati Bengals takes a defensive stance during an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings at Paycor Stadium on December 16, 2023 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Jeff Dean/Getty Images)
After no trade partner was found and negotiations failed to come to fruition, Hendrickson suspended offseason workouts and the start of training camp. But the lock was finally broken, when Hendrickson and the Bengals agreed to a $29 million contract for the 2025 season only.
Unfortunately for both sides, Hendrickson suffered an injury that forced him to miss 10 games and was then placed on injured reserve to repair a core muscle injury.
Hendrickson’s career in Cincinnati saw him as one of the league’s most productive edge rushers as he tallied 14 sacks in his first Pro Bowl season in 2021 after signing his initial four-year contract with the team.
He previously played for the New Orleans Saints, who selected him in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft out of FAU. Hendrickson had a breakout 2020 campaign with a career-high 13.5 sacks, ultimately earning him a $60 million contract with the Bengals.
Trey Hendrickson #91 of the Cincinnati Bengals warms up before playing against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium on December 15, 2024 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
Hendrickson made four consecutive Pro Bowls and earned a first-team All-Pro in 2024 thanks to his sack total, which also saw 36 quarterback hits, 46 combined tackles and 19 tackles for loss.
In his seven games last season, Hendrickson totaled four sacks and 16 combined tackles with one forced fumble.
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