Packers Listed Among Potential Suitors for Trey Hendrickson

Trey Hendrickson, the NFL’s sack leader for the 2024 season, can’t reach a contract extension with the Cincinnati Bengals and wants to be traded. Pro Football Network and Fox Sports have made their predictions on teams that may go after the All-Pro.

The Green Bay Packers made their lists.

Hendrickson believes he is worth a deal similar to what T.J. Watt was given by the Steelers, which averages $41 million annually over three years. An NFL agent told Fox Sports he believes a deal somewhere in the range of $30 million to $32 million range makes more sense, which is what is causing the rift between Hendrickson and the Bengals front office.

If Hendrickson does end up getting traded, the Bengals reportedly want a defensive player and draft compensation for him. A longtime NFL executive believes a fair deal would be a first-round pick and a starter, or first- and third-round picks would work, as well.

Pro Football Network named five teams it believes would go after the star edge rusher, while Fox Sports’ David Helman named six. There seem to be a couple of favorites in this race, as the Packers show up on both lists, and both say there is a good chance he could end up in the NFC North, whether it’s with the Packers or a rival.

With Rashan Gary looking for his first 10-sack season and former first-round pick Lukas Van Ness coming off a lackluster second season, Hendrickson and the Packers could be a match made in heaven. He is coming off back-to-back seasons of 17.5 sacks and has at least 13.5 sacks in four of the last five seasons. He was first-team All-Pro last season and has been selected to four consecutive Pro Bowls.

With the Bears and the Vikings being in the top 10 in offensive line rankings, according to PFF, and the Lions typically fielding a strong unit, the Packers need some star power that can reliably get to the quarterback. Having a pass rusher who is consistently in the backfield can help the Packers slow the progress of second-year Bears starting quarterback Calb Williams and first-year Vikings starter J.J. McCarthy and help the team recover from last year’s 1-5 finish in NFC North games.

As Fox’s Helman wrote, “In a passing division led by a pair of quarterback whisperers in Kevin O’Connell and Ben Johnson, the Packers could use a top-tier pass rusher like Hendrickson, who can get home in critical portions of the game.”

The Packers were solid against the run last season, being in the top seven in yards allowed on the ground as well as yards per attempt, and adding Hendrickson would give the defense a significant lift.

“I would say I would expect the #Packers to be among the teams really interested” in Micah Parsons, Ian Rapoport said on The Pat McAfee Show.

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Last season, according to PFF, Hendrickson led the NFL with 83 pressures. The Packers’ top returning defensive ends from last year, Gary, Van Ness and Kingsley Enagbare, combined for 92.

“I think the biggest thing is just the fact we need to affect the quarterback with four (rushers),” Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said at the Scouting Combine. “How we do that kind of remains to be seen.

“We had good moments last year, but it just needs to be more consistent. It needs to be able to control the game when we need to control the game and finish games off. I’m excited about the guys we have in the room. We’ll see if we add to it, but that’s got to get better if we’re going to accomplish our goals that we want to accomplish this season.”

The Packers added Barryn Sorrell and Collin Oliver with Day 3 draft picks. Both players are injured, with Oliver having missed all of training camp.

While Van Ness might be trending toward a breakout season, will it be enough to lift a pass rush that finished eighth in sacks but was in the middle of the pack in other pressure numbers?

There’s a chance Hendrickson will remain with the Bengals, either because they reach agreement on a contract extension or the Bengals won’t find a suitable deal and they’ll let Hendrickson play out his contract and enter free agency at the end of the season.

Among the other potential suitors for Hendrickson are the Lions, who are looking for a sidekick for Aidan Hutchinson.

“Hendrickson would add to one of the league's most feared defenses, not only with his own output, but by taking eyes away from Hutchinson on the other side,” PFN wrote.

Meanwhile, the Bears haven’t had a player reach double-figures in sacks since 2021. With Chicago, Hendrickson would be reunited with Dennis Allen, who was the Saints’ defensive coordinator when Hendrickson played there from 2017 through 2020.

With the potential of Williams and new coach Ben Johnson, the Bears want to get a guy like Hendrickson to be a drive killer to keep their offense on the field as much as possible.

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