{"id":790180,"date":"2026-03-04T00:04:13","date_gmt":"2026-03-04T00:04:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/790180\/"},"modified":"2026-03-04T00:04:13","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T00:04:13","slug":"free-agent-trey-hendrickson-says-goodbye-to-cincinnati-bengals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/790180\/","title":{"rendered":"Free agent Trey Hendrickson says goodbye to Cincinnati Bengals"},"content":{"rendered":"

Trey Hendrickson\u2019s<\/a> tenure with the Cincinnati Bengals<\/a> is over.<\/p>\n

As expected, the Bengals elected not to franchise tag Hendrickson<\/a> before the March 3 4 p.m. ET deadline to do so. The edge rusher will now enter free agency.<\/p>\n

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Hendrickson\u2019s farewell to Cincinnati came shortly after the franchise tag deadline.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you for the opportunity to play the game I love at the highest level. The last 5 years have been filled with great wins and Tough losses. Personal achievements & humbling adversities,\u201d Hendrickson wrote on social media. \u201cI was & always will be proud to have worn the Cincinnati Bengals<\/a> logo & honor the history behind it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hendrickson went on to personally thank his Bengals teammates, Bengals coaches, staff members and Cincinnati fans in a lengthy Instagram post. <\/p>\n

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Hendrickson\u2019s farewell letter marks the end of a chapter that was anticipated to end in a divorce.<\/p>\n

Hendrickson and the Bengals went through a multi-year contract standoff that included two trade requests. Hendrickson hoped for a long-term contract but the Bengals never obliged.<\/p>\n

NFL free agency 2026: LB tops Tyler Dragon’s top 32 free agents<\/a><\/p>\n

The Bengals edge rusher requested a trade in April of 2024<\/a>. The following year, Hendrickson asked for a trade again and had an impromptu press conference<\/a> before the 2025 season in which he stated his unwillingness to play for the Bengals on his current contract. The Bengals eventually gave Hendrickson a raise for the year.<\/p>\n

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Hendrickson’s final season in Cincinnati was slowed by injury. He only played in seven games. The Bengals placed Hendrickson on injured reserve due to hip and pelvis injuries in December.<\/p>\n

Hendrickson was a prized acquisition for the Bengals during the 2021 free agency period. He was named to four Pro Bowl teams and tallied 17.5 sacks in back-to-back season from 2023-2024.<\/p>\n

Hendrickson was originally a 2017 third round pick by the New Orleans Saints. The 31-year-old has collected 81 career sacks in nine seasons.<\/p>\n

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The edge rusher now enters free agency as one of the top players available<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon on X\u00a0@TheTylerDragon<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trey Hendrickson bids farewell to Bengals, to enter free agency<\/a><\/p>\n