Several seemingly contradictory facts can all be true at the same time.
Trey Hendrickson is one of the best edge rushers in the NFL. He’s coming off a four-sack season in which he was injured more often than he wasn’t. He was the Bengals’ best defensive player in both 2023 and 2024. He’ll be 32 in December.
If the Bengals were to sign him to a multi-year deal — which I’m 100% sure Hendrickson would prefer — they’d have to guarantee more money than they’re comfortable with. Luckily for them, and unluckily
for him, they’ve positioned themselves to use the franchise tag on him for the second consecutive season.
The tag cost the Bengals $29 million last year. Tagging him again would cost $34.8 million. For an All-Pro player, that’s a no-brainer, especially with Joseph Ossai headed for free agency. That said, it’s not without risk.
No one is saying Hendrickson is about to suddenly hit the wall that eventually comes for every player in his 30s — but it is coming. If the Bengals tag him and he turns in another injury-ridden season, that’s money poorly spent. Still, given the cost of truly elite edge rushers, it’s a risk worth taking.
Just look at Pittsburgh.
The Steelers are in a real pickle with T.J. Watt. He’s also 31, but the Steelers signed him to a three-year, $123 million extension before the 2025 season. He carries a $42 million cap hit in 2026. Over the 2023 and 2024 seasons, before that extension, Watt totaled 30.5 sacks. Hendrickson had 35.
Now the Steelers are stuck. They either pay a player coming off a seven-sack season $42 million, restructure his deal, trade him, or cut him. If they cut Watt after June 1, they’d still owe him $62 million over the next three years — though only $10 million would count against the 2026 cap.
All of this is to say the Bengals handled Hendrickson correctly — purely from a business standpoint.
If they tag him and he gives them 10–15 sacks, they’ll look like geniuses. From the player’s perspective, though, it’s not a great look.
Players want to play for teams that reward them when they earn it, and nobody has earned it more than Hendrickson. Despite being the only consistently productive pass rusher on the roster in 2023 and 2024, he still posted back-to-back 17.5-sack seasons. Teams threw everything they had at him, and it didn’t matter.
Given what he delivered, it would’ve been nice to see the Bengals reward him with a multi-year deal. I understand why they didn’t — but I just feel like it’s not a great look.
It’s also tough to know what Hendrickson’s 2025 numbers might’ve looked like if he stayed healthy. In the final games he did play, his snaps were cut nearly in half. Even with just four sacks, there were only four edge rushers last season who logged more than 100 pass-rush snaps and posted a higher win rate than Hendrickson.
So yes — the Bengals would be smart to tag him again. And coming off an injury, it might be Hendrickson’s best bet.
Spotrac projects he could sign a two-year deal worth just under $51 million, but he’ll be 32 and dealing with a sports hernia that could require surgery. Teams may feel iffy about paying so much for a player who will be pushing 34 when his contract is up.
There’s another option, too.
The tag-and-trade.
I doubt the Bengals could get a first-round pick — or even a second — but a third-rounder or a Day 3 pick for a proven but aging edge rusher coming off an injury could make sense for a team that doesn’t love its chances of finding a better pass rusher in the draft.
If the Bengals pull that off — let’s say for a third-round pick — they haven’t exactly earned the benefit of the doubt when it comes to turning extra draft capital into productive players. But if they do, they’d have a cheaper player on a multi-year rookie deal.
Pipe dream? Maybe. Probably.
So what do you want?
Do you want the Bengals to tag Trey with the intention of squeezing one more year out of him?
Do you want them to tag him with the intent to trade him?
Or do you think he’s earned the right to sign a multi-year deal elsewhere?
Sound off.
Random Super Bowl Thoughts:
- This Super Bowl had about as much hype as a Week 7 Monday Night Football game.
- We were spoiled with three great Super Bowls in a row. The last two? Not so much. Sunday was… fine. Meh.
- I’ve never listened to Bad Bunny, and I didn’t understand a word he said. I dug the vibe, though, and I did understand the NFL’s decision. Mexico and Brazil are the NFL’s two largest international markets. Having a Spanish-speaking performer was a business move more than anything else.
- Sam Darnold won a Super Bowl. Sit with that for a second. The same Sam Darnold drafted No. 3 overall by the Jets in 2018. The Bengals still haven’t hoisted a Lombardi, while the Seahawks have two — both with quarterbacks I’d take Joe Burrow over 100% of the time. I’m not saying Darnold didn’t earn it…. life’s just not fair sometimes.
- Still glad the Seahawks beat the Patriots.
- What did you think of the Super Bowl?
- Welcome to the offseason. We’re just over a month away from “legal” tampering.
Money, get away
Go get a good job with more pay, and you’re okay
Money, it’s a gas
Grab that cash with both hands and make a stash
A new car, caviar, four-star daydream
Think I’ll buy me a football team
