It seems all but certain at this point that Trey Hendrickson will be saying goodbye to the Cincinnati Bengals this offseason, after the star edge rusher put the team on blast in a statement over its refusal to engage with him about a new contract. The Detroit Lions, as it happens, would love to add some more impact talent on the edge, with Aidan Hutchinson still working back from a serious leg injury and not a ton of known quantities behind him.
On paper, the fit seems perfect, a win-now team getting the biggest possible upgrade at a position of need. But while Lions fans might be letting their imaginations run wild right now, there's one big reason why Detroit shouldn't be considered anything like the favorites for Hendrickson right now. And that's probably for the best for the long haul.
Lions would struggle to fit Trey Hendrickson deal into their future plans
Few GMs have drafted as well as Brad Holmes has in recent years. But the flip side to all that young talent is that, eventually, it needs to get paid — and the bill is about to come due for the Lions in a big way. The team already made Kerby Joseph the league's highest-paid safety with a four-year extension last month, and that's just the beginning of the extension decisions Holmes will be facing in the near future.
The big one, of course, is Hutchinson himself, whether that comes this offseason or next. But beyond that, there's also the entirety of the Lions' sensational 2023 draft class, from Jahmyr Gibbs to Sam LaPorta to Brian Branch to Jack Campbell. And that's not to mention wide receiver Jameson Williams, if the team decides against trading him, plus veterans like Frank Ragnow, Alex Anzalone and Amik Robertson who are coming up on new deals themselves.
That's a lot of powder that Holmes needs to keep dry if he wants to keep the core of this team together moving forward (and really, why wouldn't he?). And handing a big chunk of it to Hendrickson, for as good a player as he is, but mean that holes will spring up elsewhere on the roster as Detroit struggles to pay everybody.
Plus, the Lions are reportedly high on guys like Ahmed Hassanein blossoming into more than just rotational players moving forward. You can understand why Detroit might look at its roster and think that, with better health and the sort of internal growth they've excelled at in recent years, they'll be just fine on defense even without breaking the bank for Hendrickson. Whether they'll wind up regretting that decision in a rugged NFC North is another matter entirely.