The window to place the franchise tag on NFL players begins on February 17 and ends on March 3. For the second year in a row, the Cincinnati Bengals have a decision to make.
After failing to reach a long-term extension with defensive end Trey Hendrickson before the 2025 season, it’s now time for the Bengals to decide their plans for Hendrickson and his future.
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Hendrickson’s current contract with the Bengals expires at 4pm on March 11, when the new league year begins. That means, unless the Bengals franchise tag him before then or don’t re-sign him, he will no longer be under their control.
Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson (91) talks with director of player personnel Duke Tobin before the first quarter of Week 2 of the NFL preseason game between the Washington Commanders and Cincinnati Bengals on Monday, Aug. 18, 2025, at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland.
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The NFL allows each team to place the franchise tag on a player each year if they want to use it to ensure a player remains with the club during negotiations. Typically, they are used when a team and player are working toward a long-term deal and they simply need more time to complete it.
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An example of how the tag should be used is when the Bengals placed it on wide receiver Tee Higgins in March 2025 ahead of free agency. The Bengals and Higgins ultimately agreed to an extension because the tag allowed more time to negotiate.
A year later, the Bengals faced a similar decision with Hendrickson. However, there are different variables in this specific situation.
Before the team tag window opened, the Enquirer spoke with several league sources about the Bengals’ predicament with Hendrickson.
This is what we know.
The Bengals have three options: tag him and trade with another team and let him become a free agent, or tag him and expect he will play the 2026 season in Cincinnati.
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As of February 16, nothing is impossible. Cincinnati is not expected to make any decision on Hendrickson’s future before next week’s NFL combine in Indianapolis, a source told the Inquirer.
Translation: The Bengals will use their week in Indianapolis to gather information from other teams about their potential interest in Hendrickson. From there, Cincinnati’s front office will have a better idea of what’s going on with Hendrickson’s team.
It’s no secret that the relationship between the Bengals and Hendrickson has been tense over the past few years. From Hendrickson publicly voicing his dissatisfaction with the Bengals’ handling of negotiations to Bengals owner Mike Brown saying his star defensive end “isn’t that easy to deal with at times,” the two sides haven’t always seen eye to eye.
Cincinnati Bengals’ Trey Hendrickson speaks during a post-practice news conference at Kettering Health Training Facility in downtown Cincinnati on Tuesday, May 13, 2025.
Despite the tension between the team and Hendrickson, for some reason the ending of this story is difficult to predict.
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If the team allows him, Hendrickson is expected to be the top defensive player entering free agency. If teams don’t have to give up a ton of draft capital for his level of production, there will be few players of his caliber available.
That’s why the situation becomes complicated.
The Bengals signing Hendrickson in 2021 would be one of the best free agent acquisitions in franchise history. Cincinnati should and will try to get something in return for Hendrickson if they can.
This is something the Bengals will discuss with teams at the NFL Combine. Here’s the main question they have to find out: Is a team willing to give up a draft pick in exchange for the rights to Hendrickson — and what pick would that be?
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The Inquirer spoke with another team’s senior NFL personnel executive, who said that if a team was willing to give up something to the Bengals, it would probably be no higher than a third-round pick. He added that this year’s free-agent class at the defensive end position could end up being strong.
Where things get complicated for Hendrickson and the Bengals is his valuation at this point in his career. A team that wants Hendrickson — and there are expected to be several — may not be willing to give up a Day 1 or Day 2 pick to the Bengals, knowing they’ll also have to shoulder Hendrickson’s price tag while also knowing there’s a chance he’ll hit the open market.
If that happens, they still have a chance to acquire him without losing draft capital or settling for a cheaper option.
Here’s what the Bengals must gather over the next two weeks. If they can’t find a trade partner, they’ll have to decide if it’s time to move on and let him hit free agency in the hope they get a compensatory draft pick in return, or tag him and force him to play another season, understanding the risks associated with the latter decision.
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Before renewing his contract for the 2025 season, Hendrickson’s biggest talking point was that he wanted long-term security. He wants the team to make a multi-year commitment.
That’s why Hendrickson doesn’t want to sign another one-year contract with the Bengals (which is essentially a franchise tag).
While the franchise tag would allow him to make a large amount of money in a season, it goes against what he’s been striving for all along.
He is 31 years old, has played in just seven games this year, and will need core muscle surgery to end his season. This may be his last chance to get a multi-year deal as he has played nine NFL seasons.
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The Bengals also understand the consequences of paying Hendrickson the franchise tag amount. Sure, he’ll enter the season as one of the NFL’s best rushers again, but that will prevent the Bengals from spending money at other positions that need help.
Hendrickson’s franchise tag is scheduled to be fully guaranteed at $30.2 million for one season.
Hendrickson has proven that when healthy, he’s still at the top of his game. He still has the ability to impact NFL games, but it appears the relationship has come to an end in Cincinnati.
This article originally appeared in the Cincinnati Enquirer: Trey Hendrickson and his future a big decision for Bengals