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Matthew Schmidt is a sportswriter who covers NFL, MLB, NBA and college football and basketball. He has been writing professionally since 2011 and has also worked for On SI, Bleacher Report, FanRag Sports, ClutchPoints, NFLAnalysis.net and NBAAnalysis.net. He was born and raised in New Jersey and has a rather eclectic group of favorite teams: the Boston Celtics, New York Giants and Miami Marlins.
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Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
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The Las Vegas Raiders are one of the most prominent franchises in the NFL, even if they have not done a whole lot of winning the past couple of decades. But because they are such a big name, they always seem to be in the market for significant trades.
It should come as no surprise then that the Raiders have been floated as a potential landing spot for Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson, who requested to be dealt earlier this offseason as a result of his dissatisfaction with his contract situation.
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But does Las Vegas actually stand a chance of making a move for the four-time Pro Bowler?
Raiders insider Hondo Carpenter provided an update on where the Raiders stand with Hendrickson in a recent podcast, throwing some cold water on Las Vegas’ prospects.
“I put the chances at 15 percent, but still at this point around the NFL, the feeling is that they are the frontrunner,” Carpenter said. “I’ve had a lot of people ask me what I think the timeline would be. Probably before the second game of the season. I could see the Bengals waiting to see if he’s really going to hold out.”
A detail of a Las Vegas Raiders helmet prior to the game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on October 22, 2023 in Chicago, Illinois.
A detail of a Las Vegas Raiders helmet prior to the game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on October 22, 2023 in Chicago, Illinois.
Michael Reaves/Getty Images
Even if the Raiders are the frontrunners for Hendrickson’s services, a 15 percent chance is not really all that much. Cincinnati seems pretty likely to keep the 30-year-old, and the Bengals have apparently established a very high price in trade discussions for him.
Hendrickson has racked up 17.5 sacks in each of the last two seasons and finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting this past year.
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Las Vegas already has Maxx Crosby along the edge, and Malcolm Koonce is returning after missing all of 2024. But obviously, adding Hendrickson into the mix would bring a new dimension to the Raiders’ front seven.
Hendrickson is entering the final year of his contract, though, so Las Vegas would also have to extend him if it did acquire him.
For more on the Raiders and NFL, head to Newsweek Sports.