Trey Hendrickson-Bengals rumor is bad news for Cowboys, Eagles and Patriots

If he hits the open market, Cincinnati Bengals edge rusher Trey Hendrickson will be one of the most coveted players available.

After all, Hendrickson is an elite edge rusher. His 2025 season was marred by injury, which led to him posting four sacks in seven games, but no edge rusher in the NFL had more sacks than the four-time Pro Bowler between 2023 and 2024.

While the expectation has been that the two sides would part ways, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo are leaving the door open for Cincinnati to not only use the franchise tag on Hendrickson, but to keep him, also.

"It's like, 'Ok, he's going to play that out. He's going to hit free agency and his time with the Bengals is done.' I'm not so sure," Garafolo said on Thursday. "I think a franchise tag is in play here."

"I say that you're correct," Rapoport added. "They paid him 30 [million] last year. So it's not that much more ($36.7 million cap hit). And the Bengals hate to let really good players leave the building. They just hate it. They like good players. And when at all possible, they would like to keep good players. It has been no doubt, a frustrating couple of years for Trey Hendrickson when it comes to the last year, staying on the field and to the contract negotiations. Might stay in that same ballpark this coming year. We'll see, though, if they can work out a deal again. That makes sense for all sides. Again."

Hendrickson has been disgruntled with the Bengals in recent years, as the two sides have been unable to come to an agreement on a contract extension. That leaves us less than optimistic that a long-term deal will get done in 2026.

One issue with the Bengals using the tag on Hendrickson is that it could lead to him holding out. And, in the process, the franchise tag price will count fully against the cap, which will limit Cincinnati's funds for free agency.

If the Bengals prevent Hendrickson from hitting the open market, it would be bad news for potential suitors like the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots, all of whom need a significant addition along the edge.

Not only would those teams have to trade draft capital to acquire Hendrickson, they would also have to pay him a deal that could exceed $30 million annually.

Of course, that would be a less-than ideal scenario, but we don't believe it'll stop most teams from pursuing a true difference-maker like Hendrickson.

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