Patriots Competing With AFC South Team for Trey Hendrickson

The smoke between the New England Patriots and Cincinnati Bengals star edge rusher Trey Hendrickson has been palpable over the last few years. This year? It hasn't been as dense.

That doesn't mean that the Patriots wouldn't be a good fit for the star defender, who consistently gets after quarterbacks at one of the league's top rates. With the Patriots struggling to flood the pocket defensively in the latter half of 2025, edge rusher would likely be their top need heading into free agency and the draft.

Will Hendrickson become a Patriot? According to Sports Illustrated's Gilberto Manzano, he's certainly a perfect fit for a Mike Vrabel-led defense. In fact, he projects that Hendrickson could earn as much as $105 million on the open market.

"It will be interesting to see whether teams will look to heavily invest in a talented edge rusher on the wrong side of 30," Manzano wrote. "Also, Hendrickson, 31, only played in seven games in his ninth season due to injuries. But the numbers don’t lie. He’s still a dominant force when healthy. Hendrickson, who has 39 sacks combined over the past three seasons, could see a short-term deal from a Super Bowl contender that averages more than $35 million per season."

"Maybe something similar to what the Texans have done with 31-year-old Danielle Hunter, who’s on his second short-term deal with the team," he continued.

Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson (91) celebrates a sack in the fourth quarter of the NFL Week 1 game between the Cleveland Browns and the Cincinnati Bengals at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland on Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025. The Bengals begin the season with a 17-16 win over the Browns. | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Manzano also mentioned the Indianapolis Colts as a team that could potentially break the bank for Hendrickson this offseason.

Hendrickson was reportedly not receiving the Bengals' franchise tag ahead of the deadline this week, and will hit the open market as the top defensive free agent. The four-time Pro Bowler was named a captain this past season, but friction between him and his team kicked off the 2025 season. Now as a street free agent for the first time in years, he'll be able to choose where he wants to play.

While Hendrickson might be getting up there in age for a defensive end, the Patriots could still address their needs at the position in the draft. There's plenty of edge rushers that could fill a pass rushing hole as rookies, and Vrabel spoke about what he wants to see from those who play the position.

"I think that there's got to be a violence," the head coach said at the NFL Combine. "There's got to be ability to move off the football and to create some sort of disruption. You have to be able to factor in on the quarterback. You have to be able to make plays on the football. We know the quarterback is responsible for the most turnovers in football. So, can they affect the quarterback? And then the ability to set the edge, rush and have enough coverage acumen that the few times we ask them to do it, they can do it."

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