The Cincinnati Bengals are facing a pivotal decision when it comes to veteran edge rusher Trey Hendrickson-and the franchise tag is still on the table. According to reports, the Bengals haven’t ruled out tagging Hendrickson, a move that could serve more as a trade mechanism than a long-term commitment. In other words, Cincinnati might be looking to recoup value rather than let one of the league’s more productive pass rushers walk for nothing.
But make no mistake: tagging Hendrickson would come at a steep price. The tag would lock up over $30 million in cap space-money the Bengals couldn’t touch until a trade partner is found.
That’s a tough pill to swallow, especially for a team that has other roster priorities and a quarterback on a mega-deal. And any team looking to trade for Hendrickson wouldn’t just be giving up draft picks-they’d be committing to a significant contract extension.
That’s a double investment, and it complicates the market.
Hendrickson, for his part, would have leverage too. Without a new deal in place, he could effectively veto any trade by refusing to sign an extension. So while the tag-and-trade route is an option, it’s far from a guaranteed path forward.
The friction between Hendrickson and the Bengals isn’t new-it’s been simmering for a while. Things came to a head in 2025 when Hendrickson held out through the offseason and into training camp, pushing for a long-term deal that matched his production. The Bengals eventually gave him a one-year raise to bring him back for the season, but the underlying tension never fully went away.
Injuries added another layer of frustration. Hendrickson suffered a core injury in Week 6 and tried to gut through it in Week 8, but re-aggravated it and never made it back to the field.
He finished the season with seven games played, logging 16 tackles, four sacks, a forced fumble and a pass deflection. Not bad numbers considering the injury, but far from what he and the team had hoped for after the contract resolution.
Hendrickson’s journey to this point has been anything but conventional. Drafted in the third round by the Saints back in 2017, he played out his rookie deal before hitting free agency and signing a four-year, $60 million contract with the Bengals in 2021. That move paid off quickly-he helped lead Cincinnati to a Super Bowl appearance and became a cornerstone of their defense.
In 2023, the Bengals added a one-year extension to keep him under contract through 2025. But last year’s holdout and the eventual $14 million raise he received to end it signaled that both sides were on borrowed time. Hendrickson was set to earn $15.8 million in base salary in 2025 before the raise bumped that number significantly.
Now, with free agency looming, the Bengals have a decision to make. Tagging Hendrickson could buy them time to find a trade partner, but it would also tie up a massive chunk of cap space-money they can’t afford to have idle for long. And with Hendrickson’s ability to influence any potential deal, this situation is far from straightforward.
One way or another, it’s hard to see Hendrickson in stripes next season. The writing’s been on the wall since last offseason, and the injury-shortened 2025 campaign didn’t do anything to mend the relationship.
He’s still one of the top edge rushers on the market, and he’s earned his spot on the list of top 2026 NFL free agents. Now it’s just a matter of where-and how-his next chapter begins.