March 5, 2026, 12:06 p.m. ET
After the Cincinnati Bengals said no thanks on a franchise tag and Trey Hendrickson said goodbye before free agency even opened, the projections for his next destination started flowing.
One possible Hendrickson free agency destination came as a surprise.
But another? Not so much.
Over at ESPN, Matt Bowen went with the Indianapolis Colts:
“Colts general manager Chris Ballard could make a splash move in landing the top free agent on our board. And Hendrickson would reunite with defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, his former coach in Cincinnati, to boost the pass rush opposite Laiatu Latu. In seven games last season with the Bengals, Hendrickson had four sacks — but his 17.5 sacks in 2024 ranked No. 1 in the league. The Colts finished with 39 sacks last season, tied for 15th in the NFL. Adding to the defensive front should be a priority for win-now Indianapolis.”
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As far back as last offseason, Hendrickson was floated as a Colts trade candidate after former Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo landed there.
Fast forward to right now, it’s not just Anarumo: Former Bengals defensive line coach Marion Hobby is now with the Colts, too.
Hendrickson could land all sorts of places and despite his age (31) and injury from last year, could have a costly market.
One place he won’t be, though, is with the Bengals as they hope to spread the cap savings across the defense and hope for production from former first-rounders Shemar Stewart and Myles Murphy.