AFC Team Named Best Fit For Trey Hendrickson In 2026 NFL Free Agency

CINCINNATI — More and more people are eyeing the Indianapolis Colts as the best fit for Trey Hendrickson in 2026 free agency. A report from NFL Network's Cameron Wolfe tying them together surfaced this past weekend, and ESPN's Matt Bowen dropped the AFC South team as the star's best option to continue his career.

It would be a pretty simple relationship to pick back up just to the west of Cincinnati. Current Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo and defensive line coach Marion Hobby coached Hendrickson for multiple seasons earlier this decade.

"Colts general manager Chris Ballard could make a splash move in landing the top free agent on our board," Bowen wrote about ESPN's top free-agent player. "And Hendrickson would reunite with defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, his former coach in Cincinnati, to boost the pass rush opposite Laiatu Latu. In seven games last season, Hendrickson had four sacks -- but his 17.5 sacks in 2024 ranked No. 1 in the league. The Colts finished with 39 sacks last season, tied for 15th in the NFL. Adding to the defensive front should be a priority for win-now Indianapolis. The Bears are a team to keep an eye on here, too."

Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson (91) holds up his finger after a defensive stop with 4 seconds left in the second half the NFL football game on Sunday, Dec. 19, 2021, at Empower Field in Denver, Co. Cincinnati Bengals defeated Denver Broncos 15-10. | Albert Cesare / The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The tie-in thinking falls in line with Wolfe's report.

"A source told me he figures it's unlikely for these two sides to reunite going into next season," Wolfe said last week. "A difficult decision for Cincy, because their relationship has not been great in recent weeks, and I'm told that if this deal does end up happening (with another team), free agency-wise, keep an eye on the Indianapolis Colts. It's a team that wants to be aggressive. They made the big splash move for Sauce Gardner mid-season. Lou Anarumo has a lot of familiarity with Trey Hendrickson.

"They just hired a D-line coach named Marion Hobby who coached Trey Hendrickson for four years in Cincinnati when they were all together. Lou, Marion, and Trey Hendrickson had 57 sacks and four Pro Bowl seasons. They're going to be aggressive in trying to get him if he does reach the market, or even if it's a sign-and-trade could be a big splash move for the Indianapolis Colts, and for Cincinnati, they're going to look at a lot more volume pickups on defense to get better with a group that just wasn't good enough to compete in 2025."

Cincinnati does play Indianapolis on the road this coming season, possibly making a franchise tag and trade more difficult to pull off between these teams, but the Bengals should do everything in their power to get some kind of compensation back if Hendrickson ends up exiting.

Losing the projected top player available this cycle for nothing to the open market is not an ideal way to end the Hendrickson era.

Check out more on the Colts' interest here.

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