The Cincinnati Bengals might finally be coming to their senses with Trey Hendrickson, sort of. The sensible thing, of course, would've been to dole out a new contract that the elite defensive end is worthy of and is asking for. However, since the Bengals have stubbornly not been agreeable with Hendrickson in negotiations and the relationship has deteriorated, it's long made sense to trade Hendrickson while the value is still there. And according to NFL insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero, that's exactly what the Bengals are now doing.
According to Rapoport, talks with the Bengals and Hendrickson remain "at an impasse" and Cincinnati is willing to listen to trade offers, with the implication being that it's now more possible than ever that Hendrickson will be playing for a team other than the Bengals in the 2025 season and beyond.
With contract talks at an impasse, the #Bengals are listening to trade offers for perennial Pro Bowler Trey Hendrickson, per me & @TomPelissero.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 17, 2025
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
Though there is no shortage of teams who should make the Bengals an offer, there are four teams who arguably make the most sense to be aggressive in pursuit of a Hendrickson trade:
- Washington Commanders
- Detroit Lions
- New England Patriots
- Green Bay Packers
However, saying that a team is a fit and getting a trade done are two different things. So what could each of these four teams realistically put on the table for the Bengals in a trade that would make Cincinnati accept? Let's take a look.
4. Washington Commanders
The Washington Commanders aren't working from an advantageous position in terms of available draft capital after sending their 2026 second-round selection to Houston in the Laremy Tunsil trade. As such, they have to get more creative to work out a deal with the Bengals for Hendrickson, but I'd push back on a notion submitted by ESPN's Seth Walder of giving up young defensive lineman Jer'Zhan Newton in order to facilitate such a trade.
Washington has a window with Jayden Daniels right now to contend and build a roster around a rookie quarterback contract. At the same time, though, beefing up the defensive line shouldn't be something that the Commanders expense part of the future to do. Losing Newton would leave a substantial lack of youth on Washington's front, which would raise questions even with Hendrickson in the fold.
As such, offering a third this year and a second-for-fourth swap in 2027 might be enough to sway the Bengals to make such a trade without pushing Newton to Cincinnati. In turn, Dan Quinn would have an elite weapon off the edge in Hendrickson that could really start to shift the power atop both the NFC East and the conference as a whole.
3. Detroit Lions
Unlike the Commanders, the Detroit Lions are in a position in which they wouldn't have to overcomplicate things. They already have one elite edge rusher they're on the cusp of handing out a mega deal to with Aidan Hutchinson, but the problem that emerged last year and forced them to land Za'Darius Smith is still present in that their defensive end group is quite shallow around Hutchinson, especially with the curious decision to not re-sign Smith to this point.
The duo of Hendrickson and Hutchinson, however, would immediately become one of the most fearsome pass-rush duos in the entirety of the NFL. That's well worth a second-round pick in the upcoming draft but the competition for Hendrickson's services and other trade offers sent to the Bengals would ultimately mean that they'd have to add in a sweetener. In fact, there's a case to be made that the Lions might need to offer a 2027 fourth-rounder instead of a fifth-rounder.
In any case, though, the Lions should be doing everything in their power to keep the current Super Bowl window open, particularly with the coaching staff's losses of Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn, among others, this offseason. Increasing the elite talent on the roster, particularly on defense, is the most sensible way to accomplish that and these draft picks would be a worthwhile cost to achieve such a goal.
2. New England Patriots
Under new head coach Mike Vrabel, the New England Patriots have not been shy about being aggressive in building a winning roster quickly around second-year quarterback Drake Maye while he remains on a rookie contract. One thing we haven't seen, however, is the team make an aggressive play for something like the Hendrickson trade, but they actually have an arsenal that gives them a prime chance to do exactly that in this situation.
By way of the Josh Uche trade and then a draft night trade swapping third-round picks in this past year's draft, the Patriots have two fourth-round picks and two sixth-round picks in addition to all of their own selections in 2026. That could be enticing to the Bengals as New England, perhaps more so than any other suitor, could have the opportunity to offer Cincinnati more immediate draft help than other teams might be willing to.
By getting a sixth-round pick back in return for a second- and fourth-rounder, the Patriots would get a defensive stalwart in Hendrickson with more than enough flexibility to sign him to the high-priced extension he's seeking while having the flexibility in the draft to maneuver and move around the board, perhaps even packaging a bevy of Day 3 picks to move back and still secure another Top 100 pick.
In any case, though, landing Hendrickson at this price would seemingly elevate the Patriots from a pesky sleeper to a viable threat in the AFC.
1. Green Bay Packers
What the Green Bay Packers are currently staring down with their edge-rusher group might actually be to their advantage in any trade negotiations with the Bengals. While Matt LaFleur's team has a stable force in Rashan Gary, the rest of the group at defensive end is far less reliable, which includes former first-round pick Lukas Van Ness. But using Van Ness as part of the swap to acquire Hendrickson could end up being the best of both worlds.
The Packers, who also have the flexibility under the salary cap to add a Hendrickson extension to the books, could form an exceptional duo with Gary and Hendrickson on the edge and ostensibly give up only a second-round pick to upgrade from Van Ness as the likely starter. But what makes that intriguing is that the Bengals would also not only not have to wait until the draft to try and recoup some on-field value from trading Hendrickson, but they'd then form a young, talented duo on the edge with Van Ness and Shemar Stewart, this year's first-round pick.
Would Green Bay be willing to part with their former first-round pick? That's something for general manager Brian Gutekunst to answer. At the same time, the Packers would be wise to heavily consider it. There might be a window of opportunity that they have the best chance in the NFC North of jumping through that's open right now. Hendrickson is the type of force that swing the pendulum in their favor, and making such an aggressive move, especially with how disappointing Van Ness has been, could be the best course of action.