Last year, Trey Hendrickson tried to move on from the Bengals. This year, the Bengals have decided to move on from him.
According to multiple reports, Cincinnati will not use the franchise tag on Hendrickson before the Tuesday deadline.
The writing was on the wall at the beginning of last year, after the Bengals brought their star pass rusher back after a lengthy holdout and gave him a raise. However, they did not tack on any more years to his deal.
The 31-year-old’s return to Cincy was marred by injuries, resulting in his appearance in only seven games.
In 2024, Hendrickson recorded a league-leading 17.5 sacks, 19 tackles for loss, and a career-high 36 quarterback hits. That performance earned him his 4th Pro Bowl selection.
His stock was high heading into the offseason last year. While Hendrickson should still have a competitive market. It’s not likely to be nearly as lucrative, given that he is 31 and coming off an injury-plagued season.
Hendrickson joined the Bengals in 2021 after four years in New Orleans.
In 117 career games, Hendrickson has 81.0 sacks with 74 tackles for loss.
