Things have gone from bad to worse for the Cincinnati Bengals, as star pass rusher Trey Hendrickson has made his ongoing trade saga everyone's business by claiming things have gotten personal between him and the franchise. A trade seems like a matter of when, not if, it will happen.
Hendrickson will likely garner tons of outside interest after leading the NFL in sacks last season and emerging as a First Team All-Pro performer. Two of those teams might give Hendrickson a chance to bring some chaos to his current employer's offensive line in the 2025 season.
Both the Detroit Lions and Arizona Cardinals have been listed at various points as possible Hendrickson landing spots, as this team's need for a star pass rusher and collection of tradeable draft picks might be all they need to force Cincinnati's hand and pull off a giant trade.
The Bengals will suit up against the Lions in Week 5, with the Cardinals coming into the picture much later in Week 17. There's a very distinct possibility that Hendrickson gets traded to one of those spots and causes some major havoc against a suspect offensive line when he plays his old team once again.
Bengals could trade Trey Hendrickson to 2025 opponents like Lions and Cardinals
After landing Josh Sweat in free agency and spending back-to-back first-round picks on defensive linemen in Darius Robinson and Walter Nolen, Arizona could build one of the best pass rushes in the league with Hendrickson at the tip of the spear.
Detroit is an obvious candidate to acquire Hendrickson, as they are an aggressive front office that has a major hole at edge rusher after choosing not to spend any of their premium picks in the 2025 NFL Draft in that area. Hendrickson and Aidan Hutchinson could be a ferocious tandem on the outside.
The Bengals won't trade Hendrickson inside the division, but they also may not be in a position to turn down an offer from either Arizona or Detroit if it hits all the value points Duke Tobin wants to see. Hendrickson just might not wait very long to rub Cincinnati's nose in the dirt.