What would it cost for Commanders to trade for Bengals EDGE Trey Hendrickson?

When big-name players become available, any team with a need at the position is bound to at least show interest in getting a deal done. Because of that, hearing that the Washington Commanders are one of the teams who may be having talks with the Cincinnati Bengals about edge defender Trey Hendrickson is no surprise.

Whether or not Commanders general manager Adam Peters eventually lands Hendrickson will depend on multiple factors, including fit–not just scheme, but personality–and cost.

That last part is where this deal is most likely to fall apart for Washington if it does, because every other indication points to Hendrickson being a great fit for a big need in the team's defense.

Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson. | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

On a recent episode of Locked On Commanders we pondered what a deal for Hendrickson might cost the team.

Locked On Bengals host James Rapien responded to an inquiry saying that the first pick in this year's NFL Draft for Washington, pick No. 29, would do the trick, and given that a trade for Cleveland Browns' defensive end Myles Garrett might cost two first round picks and more when that team is finally ready to negotiate, one first round pick for Hendrickson seems more reasonable.

However, there's also the fact that Hendrickson is entering 2025 on an expiring contract. Following the record-setting deal the Las Vegas Raiders rewarded Maxx Crosby with, the top-shelf edge market is about to get much more expensive.

In fact, a new deal for Hendrickson is expected to cost whatever team trades for him north of $20 million per year, and that's after taking on $16 million in salary cap hit for 2025.

Those factors, if leveraged properly, tend to drive down some of the asking prices for players in this situation. With that in mind, we also ideated about a potential deal that falls short of a first round pick, but offers trade compensation and defensive tackle Jonathan Allen who is due double-digits in base salary but could easily be re-nogotiated into more guaranteed money–he has none currently–for a lower cap hit with Cincinnati in 2025.

The Athletic leveraged the strength of their network of reporters and collected various theoretical offers for Hendrickson. Commanders beat reporter for the outlet, Ben Standig, offered up the following deal:

Washington Commanders defensive tackle Jonathan Allen. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

WASHINGTON GETS: EDGE TREY HENDRICKSON AND PICK NO. 49 (2ND ROUND) IN THE 2025 NFL DRAFT

CINCINNATI GETS: PICK NO. 29 IN THE 2025 NFL DRAFT, 2ND ROUND PICK IN THE 2026 NFL DRAFT, AND DT JONATHAN ALLEN

In his offer idea, Standig says, "You may have heard that the entire NFL universe wants to send Browns DE Myles Garrett to the Commanders. However, Cleveland is currently blocking that door. Hendrickson is hardly a fallback option. Washington has needs in every position room — over 25 free agents will thin a roster — but an edge defender is priority No. 1."

Some other offers include Chicago Bears reporter Kevin Fishbain offering a single second-round pick, Green Bay Packers reporter Matt Schneidman offering defensive end Lukas Van Ness and a 2025 third-round pick, and Colts reporter James Boyd offering a 2025 second-round pick and 2026 third.

If you're keeping track, only the Commanders' offer includes a first round pick, but being as late as it is in the round compared to how early many of the seconds offered are and that it includes a pick swap, that's not a surprise.

In the situational exercise, senior writer and Bengals reporter Paul Dehner Jr. opts to take the Colts' offer, citing a lack of enthusiasm about Allen and the need to get or keep current capital over moving up and stockpiling future picks.

Stick with CommanderGameday and the Locked On Commanders podcast for more FREE coverage of the Washington Commanders throughout the 2024 season.

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