The Cincinnati Bengals tried, but failed, to get a deal done with prolific edge rusher Trey Hendrickson over the past two seasons. This offseason, the front office pulled the ripcord, letting the sun set on his playing days in stripes.
After flailing a bit in the winds of free agency and almost signing elsewhere, the Ravens swooped in to give Hendrickson nearly $30 million per year.
But as it turns out, that may have been one of the worst deals in the NFL in very short order, further fueling the idea that the Bengals’ decision not to re-sign Hendrickson could prove to be one of the best decisions for them over the next few seasons.
Outside criticism reinforces Bengals' Trey Hendrickson decision
Brad Gagnon of Bleacher Report released his 10 worst contracts ahead of the season, with Hendrickson’s being among them.
Of Hendrickson’s contract with the Ravens, Gagnon writes:
“The Problem: The 31-year-old is coming off a season derailed by lingering core muscle injuries. There's a good chance that contributes to his decline entering his 10th season, paving the way for this panic signing to backfire on the Ravens.
The Kicker: Hendrickson is slated to cost the team $34.5 million in his age-35 season in 2029. Watch for the Ravens to wind up paying a $27 million dead-cap charge just to make him go away in 2028.”
All the reasons Gagnon points out are part of why the Bengals were comfortable letting Hendrickson walk for nothing, without playing the tag-and-trade game. Admittedly, however, it looks better when it comes from someone who does not represent or cover our hometown team.
The most significant reason why the Bengals couldn’t reach an agreement with the veteran pass rusher is that they were not willing to go where Hendrickson wanted his salary to go. Ironically, he ended up getting less than what Cincinnati offered over a year ago.
Something else the Bengals would not have been on board with is a possible $27 million dead cap penalty for a single player. They would not abide such a total for the entire roster, let alone for one.
Still, the Bengals chose to take what they would have needed to keep Hendrickson in town and use those resources on a much-needed infusion of talent on defense.
Bengals reshaped defense after Trey Hendrickson departure
The Bengals have had an excellent offseason despite letting one of their best players hit free agency. They have completely overhauled their defensive line, which includes the addition of two new edge rushers, Boye Mafe and their first pick of this year’s draft, Cashius Howell.
The front office and coaching staff have also taken a new approach to attacking opposing quarterbacks by making immense improvements at defensive tackle, trading for Dexter Lawrence, and signing free agent Jonathan Allen.
Hopefully, the sum of the moves that Cincinnati's front office has made will far surpass what Hendrickson brought to the table as the only threat opposing offenses had to deal with.
If the Bengals have more team success in rushing the passer without Hendrickson, there won’t be any regrets about letting him walk this season.
Ravens not regretting Hendrickson signing, yet
The Ravens certainly do not regret signing the NFL’s 2024 sack leader. Or, at least not yet, as they can chalk up Hendrickson’s 2025 campaign to injury and no real rush to get back to a team that was out of the playoff hunt so early in the season.
No games have been played in 2026, and Hendrickson could be the best defensive player in the NFL this upcoming season. However, it is also not unreasonable to believe that Hendrickson may not live up to his new contract or Baltimore’s expectations of him.
For the Bengals side, nothing will make them feel more vindicated than if Gagnon’s hypothetical future comes to pass.
Scratch that. What would make the Bengals feel even more vindicated would be if Hendrickson goes out against their tackles and posts two goose eggs in the sack column, regardless of how his contract status is working out in Baltimore.
And if the offseason decisions pan out the way the front office hopes, the Bengals and fans won't have to care in the least about what is happening elsewhere. Nevertheless, it is nice to see that a division rival has received at least a bit of the national criticism Bengals fans are accustomed to.
After two consecutive offseasons of Hendrickson contract debate in the Queen City, it is Charm City’s turn. Enjoy Baltimore.
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