ClutchPoints
The Detroit Lions are ready to make some noise during the 2025 NFL season. Detroit had an incredible 2024 campaign that was arguably the best in franchise history, at least in the regular season. Unfortunately, the Lions were simply too injured to make a deep playoff run. They lost in a Divisional playoff game against the Commanders.
Detroit reloaded the roster during the 2025 offseason, adding depth at all levels of the roster. Now the one missing piece that could propel them to a Super Bowl is another edge rusher.
The Lions were paired with several edge rushers throughout the offseason, but only made a handful of additions.
That’s where Trey Hendrickson comes in.
Hendrickson has been in the news for the entire offseason. He is seeking a massive contract extension from the Bengals after back-to-back 17.5-sack seasons. It is safe to say that Hendrickson has earned that extension.
Unfortunately, the two sides have yet to agree on an extension of any kind.
Hendrickson showed up to Bengals rookie minicamp last Tuesday to talk with the media about his contract situation. He dropped a bombshell during that interview, claiming he will not play for the Bengals on his current contract.
Hendrickson’s ultimatum opens the door back up for other NFL teams to make trade offers for him.
Could Lions GM Brad Holmes work some magic and finally find a running mate opposite of Aidan Hutchinson? And if he does, what would the price be to acquire Hendrickson?
Below we will explore what trade package the Lions could offer the Bengals to acquire edge rusher Trey Hendrickson.
Let’s review the terms of this proposed trade before we get into any analysis.
Lions receive:
Bengals receive:
The Bengals would have to at least stop to consider a trade package like this one.
Cincinnati seems determined to want at least one first-round pick in return for Hendrickson in a trade. That is reasonable considering how productive he has been. However, it is also a huge ask for the acquiring team.
Hendrickson will demand a contract extension in the neighborhood of $30 million per season if he is traded. That is a tough pill to swallow on top of giving up a first-round pick.
But the Lions don’t stop there. They also include a future second-round pick and veteran defensive tackle D.J. Reader as a sweetener.
Reader spent four seasons in Cincinnati before heading up to Detroit in 2024. The Bengals have tried desperately to replace Reader with younger players (Kris Jenkins Jr., McKinnley Jackson) but it has not worked out so far.
Let’s talk about that conditional pick for a moment.
I believe this conditional pick is the key to making this deal appealing to Cincinnati.
I have it as a fifth-round pick to start, but...
