Trey Hendrickson blockbuster trade proposal sends Bengals star to boring AFC squad

The Cincinnati Bengals and star edge rusher Trey Hendrickson remain in a standoff in contract extension talks.

Recent rumors suggest the vibes are still positive, but until Hendrickson signs on the dotted line, a trade remains possible after the team granted him permission to seek one earlier in the offseason.

If Hendrickson does get traded, one team we've seen floated as a possible landing spot is the Indianapolis Colts, a team that sports Hendrickson's former defensive coordinator, Lou Anarumo.

Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox is the latest analyst to make that connection and he believes the Colts could be a landing spot for the four-time Pro Bowler.

"The Indianapolis Colts should also be interested, as they now employ former Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo in the same capacity," Knox said.

The Colts could definitely use more juice in the pass-rush, as not only did the team have just one edge rusher total more than four sacks last season, but Indy also lost Dayo Odeyingbo in free agency.

Hendrickson is one of the NFL's elite pass-rushers, as evidenced by his leading the league with 17.5 sacks last season, and his 35 sacks since 2023 are the most in the league. He would amount to a massive upgrade for Indy.

But there are some hurdles to jump in trading for Hendrickson.

For starters, Cincy has been asking for a lot for Hendrickson, likely because they don't really want to trade him. That could lead to the Colts having to pay a king's ransom to bring Hendrickson in.

On top of that, the Colts would have to turn around and sign him to a massive deal that would almost certainly be north of $30 million annually on the low end. The Colts do have a positive financial situation over the next few years, so they can actually afford that kind of deal.

The Colts are perennially one of the more disappointing and boring teams in the NFL, and it's amazing that general manager Chris Ballard still has a job, but we digress.

Adding Hendrickson is exactly the kind of earth-shattering move the Colts need to make if they want to end their four-year playoff drought.

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