The Cincinnati Bengals had one of the worst defenses in the NFL during the 2024 season. Before the 2025 season, the Bengals have yet to give defensive end Trey Hendrickson or rookie edge rusher Shemar Stewart new contracts.
Hendrickson is one of the best pass rushers in the NFL. Cincinnati needs to somehow get both him and Stewart signed before training camp begins. However, the Hendrickson contract issues could carry over into training camp. If this were to happen, is there a chance that the Bengals could trade him before the start of the 2025 NFL season?
NFL Analyst Believes That the Cincinnati Bengals Trading Trey Hendrickson Before the 2025 NFL Season Will Become Reality
Jeff Kerr of CBS Sports listed overreactions and reality statements before the start of training camp. He had an interesting take about the Bengals defensive star and said,
“The Bengals will trade Trey Hendrickson
Overreaction or reality: Reality
How long will this statemate with Hendrickson and the Bengals last? Hendrickson sat out mandatory minicamp and is prepared to hold out until the regular season if a long-term extension isn’t reached with the Bengals.
Cincinnati has failed to give Hendrickson an extension after paying Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins this offseason, which was the Bengals’ top priority. They want to keep Hendrickson and haven’t entertained trade offers for him, but Hendrickson may force their hand.
How much Hendrickson is worth makes this difficult. Hendrickson is 30 years old and won’t be getting $40 million a season like Myles Garrett or $35 million a season like Maxx Crosby — but he should be in the ballpark. Unless he gets near Crosby’s salary, the Bengals will have issues signing him.
If this holdout goes into late August, the Bengals will have little choice but to trade Hendrickson. They shouldn’t do that, but Hendrickson has the leverage here. This deal needs to be done early in training camp.”
If Cincinnati were to trade him, three teams that would consider trading for him would be the Green Bay Packers, the Washington Commanders, and the Detroit Lions. All three of those teams are looking to contend for a Super Bowl title in 2025. This would be a mistake for the Bengals to trade the best defensive player on the roster after they had one of the worst defenses in the NFL a season ago.
He is 30 years old. Hendrickson during the 2024 season with Cincinnati recorded 46 tackles, 17.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, and six pass deflections. Whoever trades for him if the Bengals don’t give him a contract extension would be upgrading to their defense in a hurry.
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