Bengals, Trey Hendrickson end complicated contract drama after team decides against franchise tag

Trey Hendrickson may finally be able to get the long-term deal he was searching for since last offseason after the Cincinnati Bengals decided not use their franchise tag on the star defensive end. 

Hendrickson penned a goodbye to fans after Tuesday’s 4 p.m. ET NFL deadline, which marked the end of teams being able to place a franchise tag on players. 

“To the organization: Thank you for the opportunity to play the game I love at the highest level,” he wrote in his Instagram caption. “The last five years have been filled with great wins and tough losses. Personal achievements and humbling adversities. 

“I was and always will be proud to have worn the Cincinnati Bengals logo and honor the history behind it.”

The Bengals never ruled out the possibility of tagging Hendrickson to try to get him under contract once more, or, at the very least, acquiring some draft capital by pursuing a trade with another team. 

But Duke Tobin, the Bengals’ director of player personnel, said at the NFL Scouting Combine last week that the latter option isn’t as simple as it sounds. 

“You have to find a partner. You have to have cooperation with your players. Trades can be complicated,” Tobin said, per ESPN.

Hendrickson would’ve also costed the Bengals $30.2 million if they slapped him with the tag for this season. So, the Bengals and Hendrickson’s complicated contract situation comes to an end, and he’ll start looking for a new team. 

Last offseason was a different story. The Bengals allowed him to find out what he could bring back in a potential trade, an odd request to put on a player. Hendrickson was the league’s sack leader (17½) in 2024, and he was looking to be paid like the NFL’s sack leader . 

After the Bengals couldn’t find a trade partner and negotiations yielded little, Hendrickson held out of offseason workouts and the beginning of training camp. But Hendrickson and the Bengals agreed to a $29 million deal for the 2025 season. 

But Hendrickson sustained an injury that cost him 10 games, and he was later placed on injured reserve to repair a core muscle injury. 

Hendrickson was one of the most productive edge rushers in the league in Cincinnati, registering 14 sacks in his first Pro Bowl season in 2021 after signing his initial four-year deal with the team.

He previously played with the New Orleans Saints, who took him in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft out of FAU. Hendrickson had a huge 2020 campaign with a career-high 13½ sacks, which landed him a $60 million deal with the Bengals. 

Hendrickson made four straight Pro Bowls and was a first-team All-Pro in 2024 thanks to his sack total. He also recorded 36 quarterback hits, 46 combined tackles and 19 tackles for loss. 

In his seven games last season, Hendrickson totaled four sacks and 16 combined tackles with one forced fumble.  

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