CINCINNATI — The Bengals did not use the franchise tag on defensive end Trey Hendrickson ahead of Tuesday’s 4 p.m. deadline, making the former All-Pro edge rusher available to sign with another team when free agency opens next week.
Hendrickson posted a goodbye to Cincinnati after Tuesday’s deadline passed, thanking the team, its coaches and fans.
“To the organization: Thank you for the opportunity to play the game I love at the highest level,” he wrote “The last five years have been filled with great wins and tough losses. Personal achievements and humbling adversities.
“I was and always will be proud to have worn the Cincinnati Bengals logo and honor the history behind it.”
As of last week, the Bengals had not ruled out the possibility of placing the franchise tag on Hendrickson in an effort to potentially acquire draft capital for the 31-year-old pass rusher. However, at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis last week, Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin noted that tagging a player and trading him to another team is not simple.
“All trades are difficult,” Tobin told local reporters Feb. 24. “You have to find a partner. you have to have cooperation with your players. Trades can be complicated.”
Had the Bengals placed the franchise tag on Hendrickson and he signed it before it was rescinded, it would have cost the team $30.2 million against next season’s cap.
Dealing Hendrickson has proven difficult for Cincinnati.
Last offseason, the Bengals made the unusual request of granting Hendrickson the ability to see what the team could gain in a potential trade as he approached the end of his contract. At the time, Hendrickson was coming off an All-Pro season after he led the NFL with 17.5 sacks. However, a deal never materialized.
Hendrickson skipped all of the team’s offseason workouts and held out at the beginning of training camp. Eventually, the Bengals ended the stalemate by raising his salary to $29 million. Cincinnati incurs a $6.5 million charge of dead money against the salary cap because of last season’s raise.
An injury then prohibited Hendrickson from matching his previous production. He played in just seven games and was placed on injured reserve in December following the decision to repair a core muscle injury that he picked up later in the season and then aggravated.
The Bengals’ decision not to use the tag on Hendrickson spells the end of the tenure of one of team’s best free agent signings. In 2021, the sides agreed to a four-year, $60 million deal. Over time, Hendrickson became one of the league’s most productive edge rushers, making the Pro Bowl in each of his first four seasons with the team. Since 2021, he ranks second in the NFL in pressure rate (13.2%), fourth in total sacks (61) and fourth in sacks that result in fumbles (11), per ESPN Research.
Last season, the Bengals were 6-11 after a midseason swoon following an injury to star quarterback Joe Burrow. At the combine, Tobin was asked why the team didn’t decide to trade Hendrickson before the deadline.
“The opportunities aren’t always there,” he said. “When you’re talking trades, there are a lot of elements. The player’s health, age, contract, the current production.
“If you’re in the swing of the season and you have a chance, and the guy is helping you have that chance, you’re looking to keep the chance alive.”
