The San Francisco 49ers have been busy this week, acquiring Keion White in a trade with the New England Patriots and also bringing back a familiar face in Clelin Ferrell. Are they done? Who knows. They
still have time before the November 5 NFL trading deadline to get a couple more bodies or maybe make a big splash with a big-name player.
Over at NFL.com, Kevin Patra had the 49ers and Cincinnati Bengals edge-rusher Trey Hendrickson listed as a “player-team fit”. There have been extensive reports saying Hendrickson is not on the trading block, but that shouldn’t stop us from speculating. Plus, we’ve seen teams say one thing, then do the opposite multiple times before
The Niners’ pass rush has been decimated by injury. San Francisco is tied for the second-fewest sacks in the league this season (9). Despite playing in just two and a half games, Nick Bosa still is tied for third on the team with 10 QB pressures. Bryce Huff has been good, but he’s banged up. Ditto for Yetur Gross-Matos. Hanging onto the final playoff spot in the NFC, the 49ers can’t sit around and let the deadline pass without making another deal. Losing Trevis Gipson (played 39 snaps in Week 8) off the practice squad might have been the impetus for the Keion White trade. That was an amuse-bouche, though. The Niners need a big honking steak. Acquiring Hendrickson would be that meaty move. With an expiring contract, he wouldn’t blow up the Niners’ offseason work of getting their salary-cap situation under long-term control. The hip injury is a concern, but attempting to pry away Hendrickson from Cincy for the stretch run is a swing worth taking. The Jets’ Jermaine Johnson II could be another option, having played under Robert Saleh.
Saying the 49ers need pass rush help is almost redundant at this point. Without Nick Bosa, they have had huge issues getting to the quarterback. Hendrickson would be a shot in the arm, but is that really worth it?
There have been numerous teams rumored to be interested in acquiring Hendrickson. There’s also been just as many reports saying the Bengals have no intention of trading Hendrickson away. While we’ve heard this sort of thing before (See: New York Giants and Odell Beckham Jr.), we should take into consideration that this is a mid-season trade for a player that enters free agency at the end of said season. So, the team trying to get him isn’t going to want to give up too much, and the team giving him away isn’t going to want to give him up for a sandwich.
If this were the only thing the 49ers needed to be Super Bowl contenders, this would be a different conversation. Unfortunately, even with the acquisitions this week, the 49ers still have issues that Hendrickson isn’t going to solve, and a draft in 2026 they can’t afford to give high picks up for on a half-season rental.
Now, if the 49ers had a way to fit Hendrickson into their salary for 2026, that’s another story. Again, getting him paid would take up a lot of cash that the 49ers might want to set aside for extensions or free agency on the offensive line.
I don’t see this happening. Maybe a team like the LA Rams would do something like this because of where they are, as opposed to the 49ers, but that’s just too rich. Money could be better spent elsewhere, especially if they have to give up draft picks for players who would come cheaper in the draft. If the 49ers could find a way to make it work —where he’s got a four-year deal without hamstringing the roster —then sure.
But where is the money in that? Do you think the 49ers should still look into Trey Hendrickson?
