Tempers have flared between Trey Hendrickson and the Cincinnati Bengals all offseason. Coming off back-to-back 17.5-sack seasons, including leading the entire NFL last season, Hendrickson has expressed his frustrations with the lack of engagement in talks over a new contract. Heading into the final year of his deal worth $15.8 million in base salary, the four-time Pro Bowler said back in May that he would not play under the current contract. Hendrickson initially held out from training camp but ended up arriving, saying he did not want to be a distraction to his teammates.
There has not been much momentum toward a new contract being agreed upon, with the countdown to the season inching closer. Cincinnati has mulled over the concept of trading the star defensive end for quite some time, and it now appears to be more seriously considering moving on from its star.
DraftKings Sportsbook is offering a market to bet on Hendrickson’s next team. Odds for Micah Parsons and Terry McLaurin are also listed in this category.
Trey Hendrickson Next Team Odds Breakdown:
The Cincinnati Bengals remain the resounding favorite at -450 odds for Hendrickson to remain with the team. This is a Bengals team that went to the Super Bowl in 2021 and the Conference Championship in 2022 but missed the playoffs outright the past two seasons. Cincinnati managed to reach a significant agreement with both Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, but defense has been its clear problem. Just last season, the Bengals ranked 25th in points and yards allowed as well as 30th in first downs conceded. Moving on from Hendrickson only increases these concerns, and one would hope cooler heads prevail and they find a way to keep Hendrickson in a Bengals uniform. But there has been plenty of time for this to occur already, and the recent reports do not indicate things are trending this way.
The Carolina Panthers open as the non-Bengals favorite at +500 odds to trade for Hendrickson. Carolina ranked dead last in points and yards allowed last season and was tied for the third-fewest total sacks. Derrick Brown and A’Shawn Robinson are the expected starters at defensive end, and Hendrickson would be a clear upgrade over either. Bryce Young showed some encouraging improvement down the stretch of last season, and the outlook in the NFC South is fairly wide open. This would be a win-now move, attempting to catapult the team into contention and a show of strong belief in Young’s stretch of play being sustainable.
The Detroit Lions hold the next-best odds at +800, and this is a spot that seems to make some more sense. Detroit is still looked at as a threat in the NFC, holding the second-best odds at +500 on DraftKings, but it lost both its coordinators to head coaching jobs this offseason. Aidan Hutchinson had 7.5 sacks through the first five games last year but went down for the season with a broken leg. He is still looked at as a foundational piece of the defense, but pairing him with Hendrickson would improve the defensive outlook even further.
The Colts and Packers each hold +1000 odds of making the trade for the Bengals’ star, but they are in very different places as a franchise. Indianapolis is no closer to figuring out its long-term quarterback outlook, while the Packers are looking to capitalize on the uncertainty of the Lions in the NFC North. The Colts were tied for the seventh-fewest sacks last year, with the Cincinnati Bengals, while the Packers ranked eighth in the league in this category last season.
There are also quite a few long shots to keep an eye on with the Titans (+2000), Patriots (+2000) and Jets (+4500) jumping out as some teams that could make some sense. Cincinnati is going to want a significant haul back in return for the 30-year-old, and whichever team is willing to reach this notable price point could get the deal done. It has been a frustrating offseason for the Bengals, with plenty of contract discussions and holdout situations limiting the excitement for the 2025 NFL season. Hendrickson’s outlook is the biggest unchecked box remaining, but the coming days will likely decide if the circus was worth the price of admission.
