Mandatory Credit: Imagn Images

Trey Hendrickson on Trade Block – Bengals Listening to Offers, 3 Prime Contenders Emerge!

Mandatory Credit: Imagn Images

The Trey Hendrickson contract saga has reportedly taken a new turn with multiple sources claiming that the Bengals are looking at potential trade options. Hendrickson and the Bengals have reached a stalemate as the two parties are unable to come to an agreement.

With Hendrickson holding in, and the Bengals refusing to meet his demands, Cincinnati seems to have turned its attention to trading him. The 4-time Pro Bowler has announced earlier that if he doesn’t get the deal he wants, he will not play this season at all.

An eight-year veteran, Hendrickson has been the most important player on defense for the Bengals, particularly in the last two seasons, in which he has 17.5 sacks each.

With contract talks at an impasse, the #Bengals are listening to trade offers for perennial Pro Bowler Trey Hendrickson, per me & @TomPelissero.

It’s unclear if the NFL sack leader will be playing elsewhere in 2025, and a trade will be a real challenge. But time will tell. pic.twitter.com/WaFX601ew2
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 17, 2025

Contending Teams for Hendrickson Trade

Despite stating his desire to remain in Cincinnati and sign an extension, the 30-year-old is looking to snag a new deal that puts him near the top of the pass rushers market. The likes of Myles Garrett and T.J. Watt have already reached the $40 million per year mark, and with Hendrickson’s contributions for Cincinnati, the pass rusher warrants a similar deal.

However, with the Bengals entertaining trade options, here are three teams that have reportedly made enquiries for the All-Pro defender. Any trade will not be easy, though, as the Bengals are sure to want a good return, including a potential young player and future draft capital.

That said, NFL insider Jordan Schultz has reported that the Panthers, Browns, and Colts are among the teams that have shown interest in the Hendrickson trade.

The #Panthers, #Browns and #Colts are among the teams that have shown interest in trading for #Bengals All-Pro Trey Hendrickson, per multiple sources.

An in-division and in-state trade is highly unlikely and any deal will be tough regardless. Cincinnati is believed to want an… pic.twitter.com/DHPnCuPNki
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) August 17, 2025

It is, however, worth noting, as Schultz pointed out, that an inter-divisional trade between the Bengals and Browns looks to be very difficult, especially since Cincinnati is looking to get back to the postseason this year. That said, if the Browns are interested and do manage to pull it off, just imagine having Hendrickson and Myles Garrett rushing the opposing quarterback.

As for the Colts and the Panthers, both teams would benefit exponentially from landing a player of Hendrickson’s caliber. Indianapolis finished the 2024 season with 36 sacks, which ranked 25th in the league, while Carolina’s 32 sacks were tied for the third-fewest.

"This relationship between Trey Hendrickson and the Bengals has been bad for a while..

Joe Burrow and that offense is gonna have to score 45 points a game to win" ~ @mspears96 #PMSLive https://t.co/1v9qL9YuIT pic.twitter.com/VbCugyClNG
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) August 14, 2025

As developments continue to take place, only time will tell where Hendrickson ends up playing this season. But if the Bengals do lose their star defensive end, it will be a huge loss for an already struggling Cincinnati defense.

Mandatory Credit: Imagn Images

Cincinnati Bengals

NFL

Trey Hendrickson

Devavrat Kulkarni

nfl

I am a content writer for the NFL team, and joined The Playoffs after working with Sportskeeda and NFL Analysis as an NFL writer. After starting my professional career as a French-to-English translator, working as a content writer is a new adventure for me. I started out in the sports media field for two main reasons: my love for sports in general, especially the NFL, NBA, and Tennis, as well as my passion for writing. The best part of this job is that I get to write a variety of pieces with the freedom to explore content from various angles. It also enables me to stay up to date with the sporting world, which otherwise can be difficult to do in the day-to-day grind. In a world full of chaos, sports unite and entertain like nothing else!