Despite being one of the NFL’s best pass rushers, Trey Hendrickson’s future with the Cincinnati Bengals had been in question going back to last offseason.
Coming off back-to-back 17.5-sack seasons while leading the league in that category in 2024, Hendrickson had a prolonged contract standoff with the Bengals that ended just before the 2025 season with the sides agreeing to a one-year $30-million contract.
Now a free agent, Hendrickson’s future is almost certainly elsewhere as he’ll be one of the most coveted assets on the market.
But it’ll be interesting to see how aggressive suitors are with long-term offers.
Hendrickson was limited to just seven games this past season due to a hip/pelvis injury that required surgery and will turn 32 next December. That said, he still had 4 sacks, 8 QB hits, 16 tackles and a forced fumble in less than half a season and was the runner-up for NFL Defensive Player of the Year the season prior.
In nine seasons overall, four with the New Orleans Saints and five with the Bengals, Hendrickson has 81 career sacks, 163 QB hits, 236 tackles, 15 forced fumbles and 16 pass deflections. He’s had at least 13.5 sacks in four of his last five full seasons, reached four Pro Bowls and earned first-team All-Pro recognition in 2024.
The Bengals could opt to franchise tag Hendrickson at a salary of more than $30 million for 2026, but after the hold out last year it’s hard to imagine he wouldn’t just do so again in that scenario. Cincinnati could also apply the franchise tag and look to subsequently trade him, but that would be an expensive scenario for another team to both give up assets and be prepared to extend the star pass rusher.
As for the other route, teams can begin negotiating with free agents March 9 and can officially sign contracts March 11.
Potential Landing Spots For Trey Hendrickson
Here are five teams that make the most sense for Hendrickson.
Indianapolis Colts
Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo was with Hendrickson for his first four seasons in Cincinnati — a stretch that included the defensive end’s three best seasons.
Anarumo moved on to Indianapolis in 2025, and even before being shutdown Hendrickson was well off his pace of the previous two years, though the injury was surely a contributing factor the final few games.
A reunion makes a lot of sense. Anarumo clearly knows how to get the most out of the 6-foot-4, 265-pound pass rusher, and the Colts were looking like a legitimate contender before quarterback Daniel Jones’ season-ending injury.
The Colts have some tough roster decisions to make on offense as they are expected to give Jones a hefty long-term contract and still want to retain free agent wide receiver Alec Pierce, who is set for a big payday. But the defense needs help too.
Indianapolis ranked 15th in sacks with 39 with second-year edge rusher Laiatu Latu (8.5 sacks) the only player on the team with more than 4.
Hendrickson fills a clear need and is a obvious fit for the Colts’ defensive scheme.
Philadelphia Eagles
There is a lot of discontent in Philadelphia after the Eagles followed a Super Bowl championship with a first-round flameout in the playoffs this year.
Most of the ire was directed toward the offense and now-former coordinator Kevin Patullo, while the team has to figure out its best course of action with disgruntled star receiver A.J. Brown.
But Philadelphia won its last Super Bowl title thanks in large part to an elite defense that sacked Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes 6 times and forced 3 turnovers to lead the way to that championship. Coordinator Vic Fangio is still in place, but the Eagles lost sack leader Josh Sweat to free agency last offseason (along with star DT Milton Williams).
Lacking the same production off the edges in 2025, the Eagles made a mid-season trade for Jaelan Phillips from the Dolphins. Phillips had just 2 sacks in eight games for the team and is now a free agent himself — and expected to receive a substantial contract (be it from Philadelphia or another suitor) as an up-and-coming talent still just 26 years old.
But would the Eagles, in win-now mode, be better off spending big instead on Hendrickson, who has reached a much higher ceiling in his career?
The Eagles are known for their splash moves under general manager Howie Roseman and should be considered a factor in the Henderickson market.
Chicago Bears
The Bears are expected to be aggressive in pursuing a trade for Las Vegas Raiders star edge rusher Maxx Crosby, but if they’re not able to pull that off, it only makes sense they’d also be very interested in Hendrickson to address that priority need.
Chicago ranked in the bottom half of the league in sacks (35) and, per PFF, finished 29th in pressure rate.
Chicago could be a Super Bowl contender in the coming years thanks to its young offensive talent, led by QB Caleb Williams, WRs Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III and TE Colston Loveland — if it can continue building up the defense to match.
This pairing makes a ton of sense unless the Bears are confident they can acquire Crosby.
New England Patriots
The Patriots made it all the way to the Super Bowl and had a top-10 defense in coach Mike Vrabel’s first season, but if there’s one area the unit could stand to upgrade it’s the pass rush.
New England was bottom-10 in the league in sacks (35) while relying on free agent Harold Landry III (8.5 sacks) and bargain pickup K’Lavon Chaisson (7.5 plus 3 more in postseason) off the edges. Chaisson is now a free agent after playing on a one-year, $3-million contract in 2025 and won’t come as cheap this time around.
The Patriots could look to replace him with a bigger star in Hendrickson.
New England was the most aggressive team in free agency last year, rebuilding its roster heading into Vrabel’s first season, and it figures the team will continue looking to upgrade key spots to build on its breakout Super Bowl run.
Detroit Lions
Detroit again had one of the most prolific offenses in the NFL in 2025, ranking top 5 in yards and points, even with former offensive coordinator Ben Johnson off to the Chicago Bears.
And yet the Lions missed the playoffs entirely after being eliminated in their first playoff game the previous season.
The Lions simply haven’t been able to build a good enough defense to complement the other side of the ball, and their Super Bowl window isn’t going to stay open forever.
Aidan Hutchinson, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, has been a foundational piece off the edge with 43 sacks in 56 career games, and pairing him with Hendrickson might just be the difference-making move that transforms Detroit’s defense.
It would be a huge financial investment for a team already projected over the salary cap — including already paying top dollar for Hutchinson on a four-year, $180-million deal — and needing to make hard roster decisions. But for a team in win-now mode needing to do something to elevate its defense, going all in on building an elite pass rush makes a lot of sense.
