Trey Hendrickson Wants To Play For Bucs?
After saying goodbye to the Bengals on Tuesday, four-time Pro Bowl defensive end Trey Hendrickson is expected to encounter a robust market in free agency. If Hendrickson has his way, the Buccaneers will be his next team, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times).
During a recent appearance on the Pardon My Take podcast, Schefter said that the 31-year-old Hendrickson “would love to be in Tampa. He lives in Ponte Verde … Tampa would be a great fit. I think, in a perfect world, Trey would like to stay in Florida. No state income tax. But he’s also open to going to the best possible situation.”
Hendrickson, who attended Florida Atlantic, lives much closer to Jacksonville than Tampa Bay. Even if the Jaguars are interested in Hendrickson, Schefter expressed skepticism about them fitting him under their cap. Hendrickson is not a fit for Florida’s other franchise, the rebuilding Dolphins.
Also a former Saint, Hendrickson has totaled at least 13.5 sacks four times in his nine-year career. He reached 17.5 in back-to-back seasons from 2023-24. His apparent hope to sign with Tampa Bay may be especially fortuitous for a team that will prioritize beefing up its pass rush after tying for 15th in sacks last year.
YaYa Diaby led the Buccaneers with seven sacks, but the addition of Haason Reddick on a $12MM guarantee last March did not yield the desired results. While Reddick has amassed double-digit sacks on four occasions, he put up just 2.5 in 13 games in 2025. Pro Football Focus ranked Reddick’s performance a lackluster 95th among 119 qualifying edge rushers.
The Buccaneers need at least one better edge-rushing complement to Diaby, and Hendrickson would fit the bill. Although a hip injury limited Hendrickson to seven games and four sacks last season, he should not have much trouble reeling in a lucrative contract on the open market.
The Buccaneers only have $11.35MM in cap space at present, though Stroud notes they could open up more room with simple restructures of deals for the Tristan Wirfs–Luke Goedeke tackle tandem and safety Antoine Winfield Jr. Doing so could better their chances in a potential Hendrickson pursuit.
Trey Hendrickson Among Players Who Did Not Receive Franchise Tag
Tag deadline day in the NFL came and went on Tuesday without much action. The Jets placed the franchise tag on running back Breece Hall, and the Colts used the transition tag on quarterback Daniel Jones. Hall and Jones are rounding out a small 2026 class of tagged players that also includes Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens and Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts.
As PFR’s Sam Robinson wrote in an extensive rundown of tag candidates, Trey Hendrickson, Alec Pierce, Kenneth Walker, Travis Etienne, Odafe Oweh and Jaelan Phillips represented other possibilities. All of their teams passed before the clock ran out at 3 p.m. CT. Each of them will be free to talk to other teams when the legal tampering window opens March 9.
The Bengals “never seriously considered” tagging Hendrickson, according to Dianna Russini of The Athletic. Had they done so and Hendrickson signed the tender, it would have cost $30.2MM against the Bengals’ cap next season. The four-time Pro Bowl defensive end should encounter a “strong market,” per Russini.
For his part, Hendrickson appears to already have one foot out the door. The 31-year-old took to Instagram on Tuesday to post what looks like a goodbye message to the Bengals and their fans.
“To the organization: Thank you for the opportunity to play the game I love at the highest level,” Hendrickson wrote. “The last five years have been filled with great wins and tough losses. Personal achievements and humbling adversities.”
If this is it for Hendrickson in Cincinnati, it will wrap up an enormously productive half-decade in the organization. Hendrickson spent the first four seasons of his career with the Saints before accepting the Bengals’ four-year, $60MM offer in March 2021. He relocated on the heels of what was then a career-high 13.5-sack season, but Hendrickson went on to top that number three times with the Bengals.
During his first year in Cincinnati, Hendrickson piled up 14 sacks in 16 games. The Bengals advanced to the Super Bowl for the third time in franchise history, but they lost a 23-20 nail-biter to the Rams. Hendrickson’s sack total fell to eight in 2022, though he still made his second straight Pro Bowl. The Bengals were once again among the last teams standing. However, since ending that season with a loss to the Chiefs in the AFC title game, they have not returned to the playoffs.
Heading into 2023, the Bengals awarded Hendrickson a one-year, $21MM extension to keep him in the fold through 2025. Even though Hendrickson went off for 17.5 sacks twice in a row from 2023-24, the Bengals could only muster back-to-back nine-win seasons. Hendrickson and the Bengals then engaged in a contentious contract standoff last year. Then seeking a long-term pact, Hendrickson reportedly turned down a three-year, $95MM offer. The Bengals’ rejected proposal did not include any guaranteed money after the first year of the deal.
After a drawn-out fight, the Bengals and Hendrickson finally shook hands on a revised contract in late August. Hendrickson had been in line to earn $16MM, but Cincinnati upped it to $30MM. In hindsight, it was not money well spent for the Bengals. Injuries wound up holding Hendrickson and quarterback Joe Burrow out of a combined 19 games. Their absences proved far too much to overcome during a six-win year for the club.
In what will likely end up as his final year in Cincinnati, Hendrickson played in seven games and totaled four sacks. He did not take the field past Oct. 26, but the Bengals had chances to trade him before the Nov. 4 deadline. Although the Bengals dropped their asking price from a first- to a second-rounder, they kept Hendrickson after nobody offered better than a fourth. Hendrickson, then dealing with a nagging hip issue, underwent core muscle surgery in early December. With no tag weighing him down, he can now turn his full attention to free agency.
2026 NFL Franchise Tag Candidates
We are now in Year 34 of the franchise tag, a retention tool that came about during the same offseason in which full-fledged free agency spawned. The NFL salary cap is rising at a rate allowing teams to hammer out more extensions than in previous periods. That has helped dilute free agency talent pools. This led to a 2025 landscape in which only two players — Tee Higgins and Trey Smith — received the franchise tag. The cap, which stood at $279.2MM in 2025, is expected to rise beyond $301MM this year.
This year’s free agent class looks to feature only one tag lock, but a handful of players make sense as candidates to be kept off the market. An antiquated NFL system regarding positional classifications also affects this year’s free agency crop, as a couple of high-end UFAs-to-be (Tyler Linderbaum, Devin Lloyd) would likely be kept off the market if the league modernized how it sorted positions with regards to tag prices.
Teams who use the franchise or transition tag have until July 15 to complete an extension; otherwise, negotiations cannot restart until after the 2026 season. The transition tag does not bring any compensation back for an unmatched offer sheet, but the two-first-rounder component associated with a franchise tag has not been especially relevant in ages. Although offer sheets have come out in previous eras (Sean Gilbert and Dan Wilkinson signed unmatched offers in the 1990s), clubs avoid these in fear of an unmatched proposal requiring two first-round picks to be sent to the tagging team.
The tag window opens at 3pm CT today. With clubs having until 3pm CT on March 3 to apply tags, here is who may be cuffed:
Likely tag recipients
George Pickens, WR (Cowboys)
Projected tag cost: $28.82MM
The Cowboys have regularly turned to the tag over the past decade. They cuffed DeMarcus Lawrence in 2018 and ’19 before locking down Dak Prescott in 2020 and ’21. The latter Prescott tag was procedural, as the quarterback used the threat of a lofty second tag number hitting Dallas’ cap sheet as leverage toward a player-friendly extension — one that laid the groundwork for his 2024 player-friendly extension. The Cowboys then kept Dalton Schultz (2022) and Tony Pollard (’23) off the market. After two years without unholstering their tag, the Cowboys appear all set to prevent Pickens from reaching free agency.
Acquiring Pickens in a May 2025 trade with the Steelers — which featured a 2026 third-round pick as the top asset going back to Pittsburgh –Dallas reaped immediate benefits from that swap. Pickens, 24, smashed his career-high receiving mark with 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns. That booked the former second-round pick his first Pro Bowl honor; more impressively, Pickens was named a second-team All-Pro. The mercurial ex-Steeler WR1 was more than 300 receiving yards clear of CeeDee Lamb for the Cowboys’ receiving lead; even though Lamb missed three games, Pickens’ per-game average (84.1) better Lamb’s (76.9).
A tag surfaced on the radar here in mid-November, and momentum has steadily built for Pickens to follow in Dez Bryant‘s footsteps as a Cowboy wideout being kept off the market. It will take a near-Saints-level odyssey for the Cowboys to create sufficient cap space for a Pickens tag and reasonable spending room; they are projected to be more than $30MM (per OverTheCap) north of the 2026 salary ceiling, but enough smoke has emerged here — after Pickens fit the tag profile upon arrival — to make it safe to expect this outcome.
The Steelers shipped out Pickens in part because of reliability concerns, but the 6-foot-3 playmaker outperformed — with a considerable QB upgrade in Prescott — his previous work. With Lamb tied to a $34MM-per-year deal and Prescott on an NFL-record $60MM-AAV extension, the Cowboys are far from certain to extend Pickens. A tag-and-trade play has surfaced as a possibility, but with negotiations not having begun as of early February, expect the Cowboys to use the tag to at least buy themselves more time on their ultra-talented WR2.
On tag radar:
Breece Hall, RB (Jets)
Projected tag cost: $14.54MM
The Chiefs offered a fourth-round pick for Hall at the deadline, but the Jets held onto their starting running back after having asked for at least a third-rounder. Hall denied a report he was seeking a New York exit — after the blockbuster deals involving Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams — but he could have a chance to explore his value on the open market soon. The Jets, however, have spoken highly of the 1,000-yard rusher. The tag has surfaced as a possibility.
Hall, 24, is more than two years younger than Etienne. He will thus command more in free agency. The former second-round pick is also more than three years removed from the ACL tear that sidetracked his rookie season. The Jets waited on a Hall extension, keeping him on his rookie contract while giving Gardner and Garrett Wilson big-ticket deals, but Aaron Glenn has spoken highly of the Iowa State alum.
Gang Green wants to retain Hall. The easiest way for that to happen would be to extend his negotiating window via the tag. A $12MM-per-year offer could await the fifth-year player, making a tag logical. If the Jets were to place the transition tag on Hall, it would cost them a projected $11.73MM. They would receive no compensation in the event of an unmatched offer sheet, thus allowing another team to dictate the contract structure a la the Packers’ Kyle Fuller offer sheet in 2018.
The Jets saw Hall sidekick Braelon Allen miss much of the season, but the former Joe Douglas-era fourth-round pick remains signed through 2027. Allen gives the Jets some protection against a Hall exit, with a mid-round 2027 compensatory pick possible as well. But Hall is a dynamic RB that will be an attractive FA commodity if unattached come March 9. The Jets have a big decision to make over the next two weeks.
Trey Hendrickson, DE (Bengals)
Projected tag cost: $34.8MM
The defensive end tag is projected to come in at $27.32MM, but because Hendrickson was attached to a $29MM salary (following a late-summer raise), he is the rare tag candidate to whom the 120% rule would apply. As PFR’s glossary indicates, “the amount of the one-year offer is determined by a formula that includes the salary cap figures and the non-exclusive franchise salaries at the player’s position for the previous five years. Alternately, the amount of the one-year offer can be 120% of the player’s previous salary, if that amount is greater.” In Hendrickson’s case, it would be.
Bengals’ Trey Hendrickson Unlikely To Generate Strong Tag-And-Trade Market
The nature of Trey Hendrickson‘s Bengals future is once again in doubt this year. A free agent departure looms unless Cincinnati uses the franchise tag in this case. 
After playing a one-year agreement in 2025, Hendrickson has long been expected to find a new home this spring. A departure would set the Bengals up for a compensatory pick in 2027, but they could instead aim for immediate draft capital by tagging Hendrickson and then trading him to an interested team. Taking that route would likely not yield a notable return.
The Bengals will use the upcoming Combine to evaluate Hendrickson’s market, Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. That comes as no surprise, as many major roster decisions are informed when front office executives and player agents gather in Indianapolis. The Bengals will gauge the willingness of suitors to acquire Hendrickson in a tag-and-trade scenario, but the presence of other pass rushers on the market will lessen the willingness of outside teams to pursue a trade in this case.
An executive Conway spoke with predicted teams will be prepared to spend no more than a third-round pick in a Hendrickson trade. Any acquiring team will be required to work out a long-term pact with the four-time Pro Bowler, something which the Bengals have – in highly public fashion – been unable to do for quite some time. That will limit the number of genuine contenders to acquire Hendrickson, who was previously the subject of much stronger trade offers.
The pending free agent class includes a number of younger options than Hendrickson, who is approaching his age-31 season. The likes of Jaelan Phillips, Odafe Oweh and Kwity Paye are each on course to reach the open market for the first time in their careers. The list of free agents will also include another veteran in the form of Bradley Chubb, whose Dolphins release was learned of on Monday, while a blockbuster Maxx Crosby trade remains a possibility. The depth of alternative targets, coupled with Hendrickson’s injury-shortened 2025 campaign, could limit the Bengals’ ability to line up a significant trade package.
Hendrickson was limited to just seven games this past season due to core muscle surgery. The former Saint was highly productive during his healthy campaigns, though; in 72 Bengals contests, Hendrickson racked up 61 sacks. A parting of ways would come as no surprise with this largely successful Cincinnati partnership having run its course in the eyes of many. Nonetheless, the team may have a difficult time finding adequate value as part of its reset on the edge.
Bengals Could Tag DE Trey Hendrickson
When after months (technically years) of drama over Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson‘s contract situation ended with a one-year agreement, it seemed the saga would finally end with Hendrickson hitting free agency at the conclusion of the season. The situation refuses to die, though, as Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports (via colleague Ian Rapoport) that the Bengals are considering using this year’s franchise tag on Hendrickson. 
After a quiet start to his career as a third-round pick in New Orleans, a breakout, 13.5-sack season in a contract year led to Hendrickson signing with the Bengals on a four-year, $60MM deal. Hendrickson has remained one of the league’s top pass rushers ever since, though injuries slowed him a bit in 2022 and 2025. The Bengals had been notorious for establishing a young culture by never being the team to sign players to their third contracts. They kind of broke that tradition by agreeing to extend Hendrickson’s deal (by only a year) as a way to adjust his compensation to better match his production. The extension allowed the team to lower Hendrickson’s salary cap impact while increasing his earnings over the last years of his deal.
Not satisfied with the Bengals’ short-term commitment, and after posting a career-high 17.5 sacks in 2023, the veteran defender turned his eyes towards another new contract. After discussing the possibility of another extension and walking away without an agreement, Hendrickson officially requested a trade. Cincinnati called his bluff, refusing to deal him, and when he decided to attend voluntary workouts, the Bengals turned their eyes to the eventual discussions that were sure to take place in the following offseason.
Initially, the Bengals made it seem as if they were open to extending the star pass rusher, who had just delivered a second straight 17.5-sack campaign, but only days later, they also started to convey an openness to trading him, eventually granting him permission to seek a trade. The Bengals and Hendrickson continued to negotiate a possible extension while several teams made offers, yet the Bengals consistently seemed to believe the trade offers did not offer enough value for Hendrickson while simultaneously arguing that Hendrickson was seeking too much value in a contract extension.
Eventually, talks in both directions seemed to stall, and Hendrickson threatened to hold out, even into the regular season. The Bengals stood pat, and as training camp began, Hendrickson showed he was serious this time. After having skipped minicamps earlier in the offseason, he officially began his training camp holdout. The drama continued with extension talks stalling and trade talks arising and the cycle repeating with no solutions. Ultimately, the team landed on the altered, one-year deal he played on this year, but it seemed bridges had been burned in the process and eventual free agency was all but guaranteed.
This latest update seems to totally blow up those conclusions. Instead of allowing Hendrickson to depart from what has been a contentious situation and test the open market, it appears Cincinnati is interested in potentially squeezing a bit more benefit out of Hendrickson. Just a week and a half ago, it was reported that, with a franchise tag likely to cost more than $30MM, the Bengals weren’t expected to go that route, but Garafolo suggests the plan could be setting up for a tag-and-trade.
Though trade talks have continuously fallen through as Cincinnati seeks more value than has been offered, there’s apparently a chance they could be going for that route, again. If so, they would likely be tagging Hendrickson under the assumption that he has no interest in signing it to play in Cincinnati again. They would then be selling teams the option of trading for Hendrickson knowing that he would either come with a fully guaranteed $30+MM deal or come with an expectation of a new contract. Either way, Hendrickson would get a chance at a new contract, but in this scenario, the Bengals would be choosing where he goes and would be getting something in return for losing him. The only power Hendrickson would hold would be that he would need to sign the tag to complete the trade.
The much less likely strategy for Cincinnati would be that they intend to either convince Hendrickson to sign and play on the tag or negotiate for another extension. Seeing how well those conversations have gone in the past, it seems unlikely that the team is attempting to extend Hendrickson’s time as a Bengal. We won’t know for several weeks, until free agency begins in March, but it seems this situation won’t get a clean conclusion just yet.
AFC North Notes: Ravens, Bengals, Warhop
Three new staffers are joining Jesse Minter in Baltimore. The Ravens are hiring Dwayne Ledford and Shawn Flaherty from the Falcons along with Mike Mickens from Notre Dame, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec and CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz. Ledford will move from Falcons O-line coach to the same position with the Ravens, making the switch after Kevin Stefanski hired Bill Callahan in Atlanta. Ledford joined Arthur Smith‘s Falcons staff in 2021, after a career at the college level, and he has been instrumental in the success of Tyler Allgeier and Bijan Robinson. Ledford was previously Louisville’s OC.
Minter will sign off on the Falcons’ OL staff coming over. Flaherty was in place as Atlanta’s assistant O-line coach from 2023-25, and he will hold the same position in Baltimore. The Falcons ranked in the top 10 in rushing in each of those seasons, though ESPN’s run block win rate metric ranked Atlanta’s front 30th (the Ravens ranked 17th) last season. Mickens spent the past six seasons at Notre Dame, working as the Fighting Irish’s defensive backs coach. He will take the same job in Baltimore, with Minter installing Mickens as his defensive pass-game coordinator. This will be Mickens’ first NFL gig.
Here is the latest from the AFC North:
- The Ravens are also blocking one staffer from leaving. Inside linebackers coach Tyler Santucci will not be allowed to pursue another opportunity, per Zrebiec, as the Ravens will be retaining the former Georgia Tech DC in 2026. The Ravens hired the one-year Yellowjackets DC as their ILBs coach in 2025. While John Harbaugh may have eyed him for a Giants role, his recent hire will be on Minter’s staff.
- Departing Ravens OC Todd Monken landed his first HC job today, accepting the Browns‘ position. He will bring veteran O-line coach George Warhop with him to Cleveland, Schefter tweets. Warhop, 64, has been in coaching since 1983 and has been an NFL staffer since 1996. An O-line coach for eight teams over the past 30 years, Warhop is returning to Cleveland, where he was OL coach from 2009-13. Monken worked with Warhop in Tampa and had him in place as the Ravens’ O-line coach over the past two seasons.
- Trey Hendrickson appears all but certain to leave Cincinnati. The five-year Bengals defensive end staple received a hefty raise in 2025, after the team did not budge on a refusal to offer post-Year 1 salary guarantees, and The Athletic’s Paul Dehner Jr. indicates Hendrickson will almost definitely depart in free agency. It does not appear a franchise tag, which would cost more than $30MM, would be in play for the four-time Pro Bowler coming off just a seven-game season.
- A far better chance exists Dalton Risner will stay in Cincinnati, however. Mutual interest exists for the journeyman guard — who has repeatedly struck out in free agency as the market devalues his work — to stay, Dehner adds. Risner, 30, joined the Bengals just before last season and started 11 games. He played for just $1.34MM in 2025, and neither of his one-year Vikings deals topped $3MM. The ex-Broncos second-rounder will likely be cheap for the Bengals to retain at RG.
- As the rest of the AFC North teams make sweeping staff changes, the Bengals are standing pat after a 6-11 season. Retaining Zac Taylor and de facto GM Duke Tobin, the Bengals are also not making scouting changes, the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Kelsey Conway notes. The Bengals have the NFL’s smallest scouting staff, employing just six full-timers. That is a fraction of where most teams’ staffs sit. “Our scouting staff is, in my opinion, the size that it is because I think the collaboration is better at that size,” Tobin said. “We have never lacked for information on a player. There’s never been a player selected that we didn’t have multiple reports and a large background on. It’s not about the volume of information we have.”
- The Bengals’ latest Tanner Hudson contract checks in at one year and $1.35MM, per OverTheCap. This represents another incremental raise for Hudson, who played for $1.26MM in 2025. He will see $50K guaranteed.
Bengals, Trey Hendrickson Headed For Offseason Split?
Having undergone core muscle surgery earlier this month, Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson will not return in 2025. Hendrickson hasn’t taken the field since a Week 8 loss to the Jets. With a trip to free agency looming in the offseason, Hendrickson has likely played his last game with the organization, according to Albert Breer of SI.com.
Hendrickson spent the first four seasons of his career with the Saints before exiting in free agency for the Bengals’ four-year, $60MM offer March 2021. The former third-round pick from Florida Atlantic scored that payday on the heels of a breakout season in which he tallied 13.5 sacks. Looking back, that was the beginning of a years-long run of elite production.
Since leaving New Orleans for Cincinnati, Hendrickson has collected 61 sacks – including a league-best 35 from 2023-24 – in 72 games. Hendrickson made the Pro Bowl in each of his first four years as a Bengal. He also helped the Bengals to a pair of AFC title games and a Super Bowl appearance in his first two years in their uniform.
The Bengals awarded Hendrickson a one-year extension entering 2023, keeping him under wraps through this season, but that wasn’t the last transaction between the two. Hendrickson sought a new multiyear pact after last season, though he reportedly turned down a three-year, $95MM offer. The Bengals’ rejected proposal did not include any guaranteed money after the first year of the deal.
After a drawn-out battle, the Bengals and Hendrickson finally agreed to a revised contract for this season in late August. Hendrickson had been in line to earn $16MM, but Cincinnati almost doubled that amount in raising his salary to $30MM. Frustration increased on both sides during negotiations, per Breer. The Bengals were sick of the “drama” surrounding Hendrickson, who was “tired of having to fight for a contract correction,” Breer writes.
With Hendrickson having made his final appearance of the season on Oct. 26, it’s fair to say the Bengals’ investment didn’t turn out as hoped. The 31-year-old remained a formidable pass-rushing presence with 23 pressures and four sacks in seven games, but his long-term absence has contributed to a miserable campaign for the Bengals. At 4-10, they’re assured of missing the playoffs for the third year in a row.
Regardless of whether de facto general manager Duke Tobin stays in place, deciding how to proceed with Hendrickson will again be a key offseason task for the organization. If a multiyear arrangement isn’t in store, the Bengals could slap the $35MM franchise tag on Hendrickson and either keep him for another season or flip him elsewhere. Hendrickson drew plenty of interest leading up to the Nov. 4 trade deadline, but nobody bit on the Bengals’ asking price of a second-round pick. He’s still a Bengal a month and a half later, though it appears their relationship is nearing an end.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/11/25
Today’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Elevated: WR Chris Blair, S Jammie Robinson
Cincinnati Bengals
- Placed on IR: DE Trey Hendrickson (story)
Denver Broncos
- Waived: TE Marcedes Lewis
New York Giants
- Claimed off waivers (from Buccaneers): WR Ryan Miller
Philadelphia Eagles
- Designated for return from IR: OT Cameron Williams
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Elevated: DL Adam Gotsis, S J.T. Gray
Marcedes Lewis is being temporarily let go by the Broncos, but the 41-year-old tight end won’t be a free agent for long. According to Parker Gabriel of the Denver Post, Lewis is expected to quickly land back on Denver’s practice squad. However, the team may have some difficulty adding him back to the active roster. Since the Broncos have already exhausted Lewis’s three elevations, the team would have to sign him to the 53-man roster in order for him to make another appearance. Gabriel says the more likely scenario is Lewis sticking around on the taxi squad, with the organization valuing the player’s “leadership [and] character.”
Bengals DE Trey Hendrickson Undergoes Core Muscle Surgery
DECEMBER 9: Hendrickson has indeed undergone surgery, Rapoport reports. The procedure took place this morning, and its recovery timeline ensures a return in time for Cincinnati’s final four games will not be possible. Now, attention will turn to the matter of Hendrickson’s pending free agency.
DECEMBER 8: Trey Hendrickson remains out of the Bengals’ lineup. Last year’s sack leader will not play in Week 15, and there is a strong chance his final appearance of the season has already taken place. 
Hendrickson has been dealing with what has been termed a hip injury for much of the season. After briefly returning to action, the All-Pro edge rusher has been sidelined since Week 9. Bengals head coach Zac Taylor ruled Hendrickson out for this week when speaking to the media on Monday, noting (via ESPN’s Ben Baby) a visit with a specialist is upcoming.
Since Taylor’s remarks, Baby’s colleague Adam Schefter has reported Hendrickson is set to undergo core muscle surgery to correct an issue which has not healed as expected with rest. Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero caution that the upcoming visit with Dr. William Meyers in Philadelphia comes as Hendrickson is merely considering surgery at this point. Provided he does go under the knife, though, Hendrickson’s season will almost assuredly be over.
Schefter notes the procedure will carry a recovery timeline of roughly six weeks. The Bengals have four games remaining in the regular season and at 4-9 they are not in position to qualify for the playoffs. Barring a major turnaround over the coming weeks, Hendrickson will thus not be able to return (presuming he does proceed with surgery).
In that event, this situation will become one to watch closely. Hendrickson’s 2025 round of contract talks with the Bengals nearly produced an extension agreement. With the team unwilling to provide guarantees beyond the first year of a long-term pact, though, a compromise was reached. Hendrickson received a bump in compensation for this season while remaining on track for free agency in the spring.
Given today’s update, the four-time Pro Bowler is now in position to reach the open market after a season in which he played just seven games. Hendrickson racked up 57 sacks across his first four Bengals season, but he has registered just four in 2025. If that remains the case through to the end of the campaign, his free agent stock will certainly take a notable hit.
On the other hand, Hendrickson drew trade interest before and during this season. The 31-year-old will no doubt be among the top edge rushers on the market in March, provided he and the Bengals do not reach agreement on a new deal. For now, attention will turn to Hendrickson’s decision regarding surgery.
In the meantime, a Bengals defense which has underperformed in several areas will continue with its best player still unavailable. Cincinnati has recorded 21 sacks this season, which ranks 29th in the NFL. A return on the part of Hendrickson would aid the team’s efforts to improve in that regard, but it appears that will not be taking place.
Bengals DE Trey Hendrickson Likely To Miss More Time
The Bengals have gone four games in a row without star defensive end Trey Hendrickson, who’s dealing with a hip/pelvis injury, and a return does not appear imminent. Hendrickson is “doubtful” to face the Bills on Sunday, head coach Zac Taylor said (via Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer). Taylor doesn’t seem sure if Hendrickson will return this season.
“We’ll just keep taking it week to week,” Taylor said.
After back-to-back 17.5-sack seasons, Hendrickson and the Bengals engaged in a lengthy contract standoff that dragged deep into the summer. The Bengals ultimately revised Hendrickson’s deal in August, giving him a $14MM raise for 2025. The pending free agent is earning $30MM this season, though the Bengals haven’t gotten enough bang for their buck as a result of his injury issues.
Hendrickson has played in seven games, none since Oct. 26, and totaled four sacks. He drew interest leading up to the Nov. 4 trade deadline, but nobody was willing to meet the Bengals’ asking price of a second-round pick. With Hendrickson still out a month later, his post-deadline contributions have been nonexistent.
Having gone without Hendrickson for a significant period, the Bengals rank 30th in the league in sacks, 31st in total defense, and dead last in points per game allowed. To its credit, the unit complemented quarterback Joe Burrow‘s long-awaited return from IR with a strong performance in a 32-14 win over the AFC North rival Ravens on Thanksgiving.
Upsetting the Ravens on the road boosted the Bengals’ chances of a miraculous playoff run, but there’s likely no room for error. At 4-8, they’re two games behind the Ravens and Steelers in the division. Another loss would guarantee a sub-.500 season, which could close the door on a playoff spot, and continuing to go without Hendrickson won’t help matters.
Set to turn 31 on Dec. 5, Hendrickson’s injury woes aren’t doing him any favors with an offseason trip to the open market looming. The Bengals may prevent Hendrickson from reaching free agency via the franchise tag, which would mean giving him another pay bump. He’d cost around $35MM in that scenario.
Deciding Hendrickson’s future will be among the Bengals’ pressing offseason tasks. In the meantime, it appears they’ll have to continue trying to keep their faint playoff hopes alive without him.