Bengals May Not Lose Trey Hendrickson in Free Agency After All

The Cincinnati Bengals' offseason is headlined by the free agency of edge rusher Trey Hendrickson. There are still some fans who believe he could be back in Cincinnati, but it seems as though that bridge has long been burned between the two sides.

Hendrickson is likely looking to play for a new team while the Bengals need to focus on finding his replacement and filling out the rest of the defense. It'll be a tall task, but they need to upgrade the unit as a whole.

PFF's Bradley Locker recently called Hendrickson the Bengals' top franchise tag candidate, which opens up the door to the intriguing idea that the Bengals could franchise tag and trade Hendrickson rather than lose him in free agency.

Bengals Should Franchise Tag and Trade Trey Hendrickson

Cincinnati Bengals edge rusher Trey Hendrickso — Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) is sacked by Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson (91) during the second half at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati on Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"Unfortunately for the Bengals, Hendrickson and the team’s fanbase, this contract saga may be far from over." Locker wrote. "When Cincinnati signed Hendrickson to a revised one-year deal worth $29 million, it effectively tabled contract discussions. Now, the time has come to revisit them — and giving Hendrickson another one-year deal could make sense.

"While Hendrickson appeared on just 285 snaps because of hip/groin injuries, he was still elite with a 90.0 PFF pass-rush grade and 23 pressures generated. The 31-year-old could receive multiple offers worth more than the $27.3 million franchise tag, which only places 10th among edge defenders. The projected contract for the No. 1 available free agent also hovers at $21 million, which means that the Bengals may not mind surrendering an extra $6 million to keep their best defensive asset."

Oct 26, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson (91) runs out to the field before the game against the New York Jets at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

Just because the Bengals have the chance to franchise tag him doesn't mean he's going to play another season in Cincinnati. He's almost certainly played his last game with the team. The idea of a tag and trade makes plenty of sense for the Bengals. It would help them gain some kind of value from him, rather than losing him in free agency.

Now, they wouldn't have much leverage at all, but they could still get a third or fourth round pick for Hendrickson. Cincinnati doesn't have too many options with the veteran edge rusher, but it could opt to franchise tag him as a last ditch effort to get as much value out of him as possible.

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