Chargers Might Get Chance to Steal Trey Hendrickson From Other Top Landing Spots

The Los Angeles Chargers have a good problem on their hands: an abundance of pass rushers. While they still need to make a deep playoff run, the defense certainly wasn't the issue in regards to their Wild Card losses.

Odafe Oweh, Khalil Mack and Tuli Tuipulotu were extremely productive together in 2025. Oweh, who was acquired before the trade deadline, exploded for 7.5 sacks in half a season with the Chargers. He also posted 3 sacks in their Wild Card loss to the New England Patriots.

Mack, the future Hall of Famer, played in 12 games and totaled 5.5 sacks. Tuipulotu led the team in sacks with 13, including a 4-sack performance against the New York Giants earlier in the season.

Now comes the challenging part: paying all of them. Oweh seriously boosted his market after his stellar Wild Card performance. While Mack is up there in age, his demand is still pretty high. Tuipulotu, while under contract through 2026, may want an extension before hitting free agency next offseason.

Jacob Infante of Pro Football Sports Network laid out a backup plan in case the Chargers aren't able to retain Mack and Oweh this offseason.

Chargers predicted to take 'swing' on Trey Hendrickson

Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson runs out to the field. — Trey Hendrickson | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

Trey Hendrickson got into a public dispute over a new contract last offseason with the Cincinnati Bengals. He eventually agreed to a one year deal worth $29 million, but 2025 didn't go as he'd planned. Hendrickson played in just 7 games due to injury and totaled 4 sacks. However, he had back-to-back 17.5 sack seasons in 2023 and 2024.

"Though the Chargers ranked eighth in PFSN’s Defense Impact Metric in 2025, they lost defensive coordinator Jesse Minter to the Baltimore Ravens’ head coaching job," Infante wrote. "To offset that loss, they could be more aggressive and add to their defense this offseason. There’s no bigger swing they can make in free agency than signing Hendrickson."

Spotrac has Hendrickson's value set at $25.4 million annually, with a projected deal of 2 years, $50,898,112. The Chargers, with their $83.5 million in cap space, could pay this if they'd wish.

It'll be interesting to see how their pass rush fiasco plays out.

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