The Cincinnati Bengals were never going to trade Trey Hendrickson, at least in part, because the team’s asking price was always going to be too high for the market.
Hendrickson’s age, contract, future contract wants, recent injury woes and the fact the Bengals appeared like sellers at the deadline added up.
Now, those factors and others bogged down any Hendrickson trade talks, as confirmed by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport:
“There was plenty of discussion about Bengals edge rusher Trey Hendrickson, but when it all became real on Monday and Tuesday, sources say no offer was better than a fourth-round pick for 2024’s sack champion. Due what’s left of his $16-million base salary, with Cincinnati having already paid him $13 million, a second-rounder was required to make a trade possible.”
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Longstanding reporting pinned the Bengals’ asking price as at least a first-round pick dating back to last offseason. A report near the deadline said the team considered dropping it to the range of a second-round pick.
That wasn’t going to happen due to the reasons above and otherwise. And while Hendrickson is technically slated to be a free agent in the offseason, the Bengals do have the leverage of being able to apply a franchise tag, so another standoff could be on the way.
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