It feels like the road has been way too long, at this point, when it comes to the Cincinnati Bengals' Trey Hendrickson situation. Alas, this offseason, it certainly feels like the saga will come to an end.
The Bengals enter free agency with roughly $53 million in cap space, as it stands, per Over the Cap. Now, that's enough to get a long-term deal done with Hendrickson. But, would that be the right move at this stage?
It feels awfully like these two sides should be headed for a breakup, and the Bengals cannot afford to let this tension continue any longer.
It is time to cut ties. Duke Tobin has to allow Hendrickson to leave Cincinnati and sign with another team, thus ending his Bengals tenure. From there, it's all about rebuilding the defense -- and there is plenty of work to do, even outside of defensive end.
The biggest mistake Cincy could make, right now, is to allow any potential drama to linger in regards to Hendrickson's Bengals tenure. It needs to be put to an end, and it needs to end now.
Trey Hendrickson should be allowed to leave in free agency unless one unlikely scenario works out
In the case that Cincinnati wants to try and trade Hendrickson, there is always a possibility the Bengals place the transition tag on him. Forget the franchise tag, because that's a bit more restrictive.
The transition tag, however, would allow Hendrickson to negotiate with other teams as if he were a free agent. He would have to sign his initial one-year tender with the Bengals, and Cincinnati would have the opportunity to match any deal agreed to by another team and Hendrickson.
It would also allow the Bengals to facilitate a trade so that they're able to get something in return for Hendrickson rather than allowing him to leave for nothing. While the franchise tag would require multiple first-round picks in a trade, the transition tag is more loose and allows for more standard negotiations.
No matter how he ends up leaving, the point is, Hendrickson should be allowed to leave. This relationship has been fractured, and the Bengals have far more work to do on that side of the ball.
They also can't afford any more negative press or drama like past years. At this point, who knows if Joe Burrow actually wants to stick around after everything the organization has done (and not done) over the past couple of offseasons.
Cincinnati should let Hendrickson go, figure out how to replace him and move on to other areas of need as well. If I am a Bengals fan, right now, I am way more anxious about the future of Burrow. He's given off the vibe that he may not want to stick around much longer, and the Bengals have essentially done everything wrong with both Hendrickson and the likes of Tee Higgins, at one point or another.
It's time to move on; cut ties. Let Hendrickson go, in some fashion, and move on. Leave the drama behind.