Sportsnaut
After five months of discontent, the Cincinnati Bengals are sick of it. Trey Hendrickson knew exactly what he wanted when he requested a trade back in March. Unfortunately, the Bengals never found a proper trade partner for the first-team All-Pro who led the NFL with 17.5 sacks last season.
Hendrickson is entering the final year of his contract and is set to have a cap hit of $18.66 million in 2025. Yet, others are making much more. That includes Myles Garrett, who recently became the NFL’s highest-paid defender, earning an average of $40 million per season.
Yet, now that NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport says the Bengals are finally listening to trade offers again, it’s time to take a new look at which teams could land Hendrickson before the season kicks off.
So, which teams could trade for Hendrickson? Let’s take a look.
The Carolina Panthers could be a team ready to make a big jump this year. Bryce Young appears improved as he enters his third season of play, and he has a new cast of weapons to toy with. But what about the defense? After allowing the most points in NFL history, there’s no guarantee this defense is equipped for a playoff run. Yet, after Nic Scourton’s recent lung collapse, they could be looking for more pass-rush juice, and who better than the player who led the NFL in sacks a season ago?
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The Green Bay Packers appear to have all they need on both sides of the ball. But there are still some recently drafted young defenders who have yet to live up to their potential. The best way to change that may be to bring in a truly elite defensive end who can lead by example, such as Hendrickson.
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Aidan Hutchinson is already one of the NFL’s best young defenders. Imagine how good this Detroit Lions defense could be if he had a partner in crime who was just as effective rushing from the opposite side? Opposing offensive lines would be left in shambles, and since coach Dan Campbell and GM Brad Holmes love reinforcing the trenches, this deal could make a lot of sense for everyone involved.
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The Las Vegas Raiders do have a few young, intriguing pieces that could pair nicely with Maxx Crosby in Malcolm Koonce and Tyree Wilson. The issue is these players have potential, they haven’t established themselves as proven pros quite yet. Perhaps the Bengals would have some level of interest in either Koonce or Wilson, giving Las Vegas a built-in advantage in trade talks. Either way, Hendrickson would provide a big boost to this defense.
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