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ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the Cincinnati Bengals elected not to place the franchise tag on edge rusher Trey Hendrickson.
If the Detroit Lions want to add edge rusher Trey Hendrickson, he will be available in 2026 NFL free agency.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Tuesday afternoon the Bengals are not placing any sort of franchise tag on Hendrickson. With that decision, the veteran edge rusher will become an unrestricted free agent.
The NFL’s legal tampering period will begin on Monday, March 9. Teams can begin officially signing free agents at 4 pm ET on Wednesday, March 11.
Rumors have linked the Lions to Hendrickson for quite some time.
But those have always been trade rumors. This offseason, Hendrickson will reach the open market at the start of the league’s new year.
Hendrickson has been one of the NFL’s best edge rushers this decade. From 2021-24, he made the Pro Bowl every season.
During 2024, Hendrickson led the NFL with 17.5 sacks and posted 19 tackles for loss with 36 quarterback hits. Behind those statistics, he made first-team All-Pro.
Last season, Hendrickson had four sacks, three tackles for loss and eight quarterback hits in seven contests.
Bengals Don’t Place Franchise Tag on Edge Rusher Trey Hendrickson
NFL insider Albert Breer reported Tuesday that Cincinnati made its decision not to tag Hendrickson “a long time ago.” Still, it became official this week.
The deadline for teams to place the franchise tag on players was Tuesday at 4 pm ET.
Hendrickson passing that deadline with a tag officially ends his rocky Bengals tenure.
“Hendrickson will hit the open market next week, a fate he’s desired despite signing an extension and accepting a raise from the Bengals over the last three offseasons,” wrote The Athletic’s Paul Dehner Jr.
“There was never a chance Hendrickson would play for the Bengals in 2026. They didn’t offer a multiyear extension before last year because they didn’t have interest in paying Hendrickson what he wanted into his mid-30s. He will turn 32 in December.”
While Dehner left no doubt on Hendrickson playing in Cincinnati next season, the Bengals insider suggested the Bengals could have tagged and then traded Hendrickson.
Clearly, though, that didn’t happen.
The major factor was finding a trade partner willing to pay Hendrickson his desired contract while also paying the Bengals their desired compensation. With Hendrickson’s age and injury entering the conversation this year, as well as a deep edge rusher market in free agency and the draft, the desperation to pay the hefty price didn’t come to fruition while kicking the tires in Indianapolis,” wrote Dehner.
On the open market, Hendrickson will be a consensus top 10 free agent this offseason. Some pundits, such as The Athletic’s Daniel Popper, have the veteran edge rusher ranked as the No. 1 free agent this offseason.
How Hendrickson Could Fit With Lions
The Lions are a potential destination for Hendrickson this spring because of their desire to add a playmaking edge rusher opposite Aidan Hutchinson.
A lot of NFL mock drafts have projected the Lions to do that through the draft. But Detroit could instead target Hendrickson as a proven commodity.
From 2023-24, Hendrickson led the league with 35 sacks.
There are concerns, though, with Hendrickson. He will turn 32 in December, so some teams might be wary of tying up too much money in the edge rusher long term.
Hendrickson also missed 10 games last season because of a core muscle injury that required surgery.
Still, some team is going to offer Hendrickson a major contract. The Lions are a candidate because the edge rusher could immediately help Detroit get back to the playoffs.
In 117 NFL games, Hendrickson has posted 81 sacks. He also has 236 combined tackles, including 74 tackles for loss and 163 quarterback hits.
Hendrickson spent four seasons with the New Orleans Saints before joining the Bengals in 2021.
Dave Holcomb is a sports reporter covering the NFL and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Pittsburgh Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions. Originally from Pittsburgh, Holcomb has covered college and professional sports for outlets including FanSided, Rotowire and Yardbarker. More about Dave Holcomb
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