Trey Hendrickson Free Agency Update Proves Dallas Cowboys Must Move On

The Dallas Cowboys were one of the teams linked to star pass rusher Trey Hendrickson entering the NFL offseason, especially after the Cincinnati Bengals decided not to use the franchise tag on the league's former sack leader.

However, nothing materialized during the first day of the legal tampering period, and we now know why.

According to ESPN insider Adam Schefter, Hendrickson believes he is deserving of $30 million per year. Unfortunately for Hendrickson, no team is currently willing to negotiate a contract at that price tag, so he may be in for a long waiting period before finding his new team.

With Schefter's latest update, it's clear that the Cowboys need to move on from the Hendrickson sweepstakes in favor of some more team-friendly options. There are also several talented players in the 2026 draft class, so the team has options and should not get desperate.

.@AdamSchefter gives an update on Trey Hendrickson during NFL free agency 🏈 pic.twitter.com/TyMfEZ8sG5
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) March 10, 2026

“Sometimes it takes a player a little bit of time to understand how the market works and to accept that, just because Danielle Hunter might get $40m, you might not get 40, just because Jalen Phillips gets $30m, doesn’t mean you get 30,” Schefter said. “So, right now, he’s talking to a bunch of teams, but nobody has met his price just yet, and he’s a very strong-minded, prideful person. He wants to get his price, and until he feels like he does, he’s not willing to compromise on that.”

Last season, Hendrickson was limited to just seven games, totaling 16 tackles and four sacks. However, in 2024, he led the league in sacks with 17.5, marking the second consecutive year that he recorded 17.5 sacks and the fourth time in five years that he tallied double-digit sacks.

While he would bolster the pass rush, there is no need for the Cowboys to get into a bidding war for a player who will be turning 32 during the 2026 season and is coming off of an injury-plagued career.

The new league year will officially kick off on Wednesday, March 11, at 4:00 p.m. ET.

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