According to NFL Media’s Mike Garafolo, the Bengals have not internally ruled out the idea of placing the franchise tag on DE Trey Hendrickson.
Garafolo says the move could be made with the intention of trying to find a trade partner for Hendrickson rather than letting him walk for nothing, as he’s expected to be one of the top free agents available.
But he adds that all options remain on the table for now, as unlikely as it seemed at the end of this past season that the relationship between Hendrickson and the Bengals could last for another season.
A tag would eat up over $30 million in cap space that the Bengals couldn’t use until they found a trade partner for Hendrickson. That would be complicated, as teams would be more hesitant to give up draft capital to the Bengals on top of a big deal for Hendrickson.
The veteran pass rusher would also be able to essentially veto potential partners if he doesn’t want to agree to a contract extension.
One way or another, it still feels unlikely Hendrickson will be back with the Bengals next season after multiple years of tension over his contract boiled over in 2025.
Hendrickson held out the whole offseason and into training camp while seeking a long-term deal that he felt fairly reflected his production over the last few years. Ultimately the two sides compromised on a one-year raise to keep him in Cincinnati for the season.
He picked up a core injury in Week 6 and re-aggravated it when trying to play through it in Week 8. He ultimately wasn’t able to return from the injury.
Hendrickson, 31, was selected with the No. 103 overall pick by the Saints out of Florida Atlantic in 2017. He finished his four-year rookie contract worth $3,106,288, which included a signing bonus of $706,284.
Hendrickson then signed a four-year, $60 million contract with the Bengals back in 2021 and went on to appear in the Super Bowl for the team. Cincinnati signed him to a one-year extension through 2025 in 2023.
He was due a base salary of $15.8 million in the final year of his contract in 2025 when he and the team agreed to a $14 million raise to resolve a holdout.
In 2025, Hendrickson appeared in seven games for the Bengals, recording 16 total tackles, four sacks, one forced fumble and a pass deflection.
We have him included in our Top 100 – 2026 NFL Free Agents.
Looking for the latest NFL Insider News & Rumors?
Be sure to follow NFL Trade Rumors on X.com and FACEBOOK for breaking NFL News and Rumors for all 32 teams!
