Trey Hendrickson is headed to the open market.
The Cincinnati Bengals declined to use their franchise tag on the four-time Pro Bowl edge rusher, NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero reported on Tuesday. The 2026 tag would have paid Hendrickson $24.434 million for one season.
Hendrickson thanked the Bengals organization and the city of Cincinnati in a statement posted to Instagram after the 4 p.m. ET deadline passed, saying goodbye to the franchise after five seasons.
"The last 5 years have been filled with Great wins & Tough losses," Hendrickson wrote, in part. "Personal achievements & humbling adversities. I was & always will be proud to have worn the Cincinnati Bengals logo & honor the history behind it.
"Cincinnati is Home. Now & Forever."
Cincinnati's decision essentially ends what has been an adventurous (and for some, exhausting) couple of years for Hendrickson and the Bengals, who found themselves mired in a prolonged contract dispute that included pleas for a competitive long-term extension, trade requests, eventual permission and ultimately, a stalemate that ended only after agreeing to a short-term solution. With Hendrickson's revised, one-year deal now just days from expiration, it seems Cincinnati isn't too keen on keeping the 2024 All-Pro in town.
Hendrickson posted consecutive 17.5-sack seasons in 2023 and 2024, boosting his earning power at a crucial point in his career as he approached his 31st birthday. Following the prolonged dispute and eventual resolution last offseason, Hendrickson played in just seven games in 2025 -- his first single-digit total of games played in a season since 2018 -- due to a core muscle injury that required season-ending surgery in early December.
At 31 years old, Hendrickson now likely arrives at a final chance to cash in. He'll hit free agency for the first time since 2021 and should welcome a collection of interested suitors seeking an upgrade on the edge.
With this in mind, where might Hendrickson land? Let's take a look at four potential pairings and one (unlikely) wild-card scenario.
Few teams love to traffic in established veterans more than the Ravens, who also happen to have a need at edge rusher entering 2026. With $18.5 million in projected cap sapce available entering the new league year, Baltimore won't present the most financially lucrative opportunity, but if Hendrickson is interested in trading dollars for title contention -- plus two guaranteed games against his former employer -- a season (or three) makes sense.
Did you know that Von Miller spent the 2025 season wearing No. 24 and playing for the Commanders? Yes, he did (and logged nine sacks at 36 years old!), which underscores their need for contributors on the edge. Washington is facing a possible mass exodus of edge rushers in free agency next week, but has $70.3 million in cap space to spend and is desperate to improve defensively after finishing dead last in total defense, 29th in scoring defense and 28th in sacks per pass attempt in 2025. That reality, plus the pressure that comes with falling drastically short of expectations last season makes for a perfect time for Washington to hand Hendrickson a frontloaded deal with immediate expectations of production in 2026.
It's no secret the Lions have sought a pass-rushing partner for Aidan Hutchinson for more than a year. It's also obvious Detroit needs reinforcements defensively, especially up front. The issue is the money: Detroit needs to restructure a handful of contracts in order to dig out of the $6 million cap deficit it currently faces before pursuing any big-money targets. However, given the pressure of their title window and defensive needs, the Lions have plenty of motivation to make such an addition with the expectation Hendrickson will produce.
Haason Reddick wasn't truly healthy enough to make the difference most anticipated when he left New York for Tampa, which was painfully evident in the Buccaneers' lack of a pass rush (24th in sacks per pass attempt in 2025). The Buccaneers need to prove their second-half collapse this past season was an aberration and not a sign of things to come. They could help themselves out plenty by improving on the defensive side and generating pressure without requiring Todd Bowles to blitz relentlessly. Hendrickson would help in this department, although GM Jason Licht will need to maneuver within the cap to fit him in.
Wild-card scenario
It's likely the relationship has frayed beyond salvaging, but the Bengals certainly need a player of Hendrickson's caliber in order to reinforce a defense that is desperate for production. Their past financial differences will likely make this a non-starter, but as far as football is strictly concerned, the Bengals know what they have in Hendrickson and should desire his services.
