The years-long contract stalemate between the Cincinnati Bengals and Trae Hendrickson appears to be coming to an end. After consecutive offseasons of failed negotiations and a Band-Aid restructure into 2025, it appears the 2024 NFL sack leader will hit the open market and likely find a new home.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Bengals don’t plan to use the franchise tag on Hendrickson, leaving him to pursue the long-term deal he couldn’t find in Cincinnati.
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“The feeling this weekend is that Trey Hendrickson (Bengals) and O’Duffy Ovie (Chargers) might no Comes with a franchise tag. That could change over the next 48 hours, but Ovie hasn’t received any indication that he will be tagged, and most around the league would be surprised if the Bengals tagged Hendrickson,” Fowler wrote.
Fowler’s prediction comes from what he heard at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis. Rather than franchise Hendrickson and try to tag him in search of a trade partner, it appears the Bengals are letting him go and taking back any potential compensatory draft picks the league gave him for leaving after five seasons in Cincinnati.
Fowler did note that things could change in the hours leading up to Tuesday’s team tag deadline, but if the Bengals have already made up their mind, their stance is unlikely to change between now and then. Hendrickson will finally get the leverage he needs in what could be his last big payday.
As far as the Bengals are concerned, they will rely on the likes of Myles Murphy and Seamus Stewart to generate pressure next season, but don’t rule them out as free agents or on the NFL Draft market. Hendrickson was one of, if not the, best free agent signings in Bengals history, and now that chapter appears to be over, both sides will likely be happy to find a solution after two years of intense negotiations.
