{"id":501037,"date":"2026-02-24T13:28:13","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T13:28:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/501037\/"},"modified":"2026-02-24T13:28:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T13:28:13","slug":"cincinnati-bengals-projected-to-lose-trey-hendrickson-to-nfc-team-in-free-agency","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/501037\/","title":{"rendered":"Cincinnati Bengals Projected To Lose Trey Hendrickson To NFC Team In Free Agency"},"content":{"rendered":"

CINCINNATI \u2014\u00a0FOX Sports NFL writer\u00a0Greg Auman thinks<\/a>\u00a0the AFC North and NFC North will be closely tied in free agency next month. He had the Bengals\u00a0bringing back defensive tackle DJ Reader<\/a>\u00a0after a two-year stint with Detroit, while he thinks the Bears will pluck Trey Hendrickson away from the Bengals on the open market.<\/p>\n

Chicago has -$4 million in cap space right now, but could clear things up to pursue Hendrickson.<\/p>\n

“Hendrickson, 31, doesn’t have the luster he had a year ago,”\u00a0Auman wrote<\/a>\u00a0about his fourth-ranked player set to hit the market. “Instead of coming off back-to-back 17.5-sack seasons and four straight Pro Bowls, he’s now coming off core muscle surgery in December that limited him to four sacks in seven games in 2025. He got a one-year, $29 million deal from the Bengals last year, but isn’t likely to draw as much this time around.\u00a0ESPN has him as the league’s No. 1 overall free agent, but will he\u00a0get\u00a0more than one year guaranteed, and at\u00a0much\u00a0more than $20 million\u00a0a\u00a0year?\u00a0He needs 19 sacks to reach 100 for his career and could easily get that in two more healthy seasons.”<\/p>\n

\"Trey<\/p>\n

Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson (91) hangs his head on the sideline in the fourth quarter of the NFL Week 9 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Cleveland Browns at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati on Sunday, Nov. 7, 2021. Cleveland kept a halftime lead to clinch a 41-16 win over the Bengals. | Sam Greene\/The Enquirer \/ USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Cincinnati cannot let this happen.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It’s imperative to operate the smartest way possible and franchise tag Hendrickson for a little over $30 million with the chance to rescind the tag before free agency if no trade suitors arise.<\/p>\n

Even a sixth- or seventh-round pick is better than Hendrickson landing with Chicago like this for nothing.\u00a0Cincinnati can work with Hendrickson over the NFL Combine to find a trade on the tag, and if no\u00a0one pops up, it’s as simple as rescinding the tag before free agency\u00a0so he can\u00a0move on, and the\u00a0Bengals can\u00a0use\u00a0their full salary cap resources to pursue his replacements.<\/p>\n

Check out the full free-agency\u00a0breakdown from Auman here.<\/a><\/p>\n

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