This was one of those stories that stops you in your tracks. Nobody really expected the Cincinnati Bengals to trade Trey Hendrickson, but if any stud pass-rusher was going to get moved between him and Micah Parsons, the odds probably would've been -300 at least in favor of Hendrickson.
Well it turns out, Hendrickson leaving Cincinnati was more realistic than anyone could've anticipated. The Green Bay Packers swung an incredible trade to land Parsons from the Dallas Cowboys, sacrificing two first-round picks and veteran defensive tackle Kenny Clark.
Parsons is younger and commanded far more money than what Hendrickson ultimately earned as a mere pay raise in 2025. But there's an alternate universe wherein Parsons could've helped the Cowboys to a Week 1 win over the Eagles, and Cincinnati would be without its only premier defender in the trenches.
Packers almost traded for Trey Hendrickson before Micah Parsons blockbuster
NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport dropped a bombshell out of nowhere on Saturday. Green Bay was keen to acquire Hendrickson in a trade, with Clark being the centerpiece of the proposed package.
"The Packers are among the teams that called and engaged the most with Cincinnati on a potential trade for Hendrickson this offseason, with an initial offer made for last season's sack leader. In fact, standout defensive tackle Kenny Clark would also have been involved in the trade had the two sides come to an agreement, though Green Bay was not willing to part with him at that point in the process. Based on Clark's value to Green Bay -- and based on Cincy driving a hard bargain due to how they never really wanted to trade Hendrickson -- the deal never happened."
Rapoport went on to explain that, once it got later in the summer, Cincinnati sought a mid-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft and a player such as Clark in a Hendrickson deal. Yup. That's it. Not a first-rounder, never mind two that Parsons fetched. Just an above-average interior d-lineman and a possible Day 3 draft selection.
I can't even begin to describe how disastrous this would've been. To have the Hendrickson stalemate end with him being traded would've meant the Bengals counting on the likes of rookie Shemar Stewart, Joseph Ossai, Myles Murphy, and Cam Sample to try to emulate his production. Dudes who posts two straight 17.5-sack seasons don't grow on trees.
Anyone could argue without much pushback that Hendrickson is the best free-agent pickup in Bengals history. He's been everything Cincinnati could've dreamed of on the field, and by all accounts, is a model citizen away from it. Hendrickson playing for just over $30 million this season is his former team pun-intended a saintly deed.
It was beyond stupid for the Cowboys to not trade Parsons before the draft if they were going to. The same was true for the Bengals, but hey, at least they found a way to get Hendrickson playing for them in 2025. I just can't believe that Green Bay was so amped up to upgrade its pass rush via such extreme measures.
I've made it known that I'm not a fan of how the Bengals handled Hendrickson through the whole offseason. To understand that they had the wherewithal not to ship him to another potential Super Bowl contender makes me feel ever so slightly better about the future of the oft-criticized front office.