After a long training camp and preseason, the Cincinnati Bengals still have not reached a contract extension with star pass rusher Trey Hendrickson. With the season quickly approaching, time is running out for the two sides to strike a deal, and one analyst believes a Super Bowl contender could make a move for the four-time Pro Bowler.
Super Bowl Contender Predicted to Trade for Trey Hendrickson
With the regular season fast approaching and no deal in place, the possibility of the Bengals trading Hendrickson is becoming increasingly realistic. He has been ‘holding in’ throughout training camp by not participating in practice, and if an agreement isn’t reached, he could refuse to suit up for the Bengals this season.
With Hendrickson under contract for just the 2025 season, the Bengals could get value for him now instead of risking him hitting free agency for nothing. Several teams would likely be interested in the pass rusher.
According to ESPN’s Bill Barnwell, the Philadelphia Eagles, the defending Super Bowl champions, are among those teams. The analyst recently predicted they could make a move for the 2024 NFL sack leader.
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Barnwell predicts the Bengals would trade Hendrickson in exchange for Jalyx Hunt, a young pass rusher selected in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft, along with a 2026 third-round pick and a 2027 conditional pick.
That return may seem low for a player of Hendrickson’s caliber, coming off back-to-back 17.5-sack seasons. However, with the superstar pass rusher on an expiring contract, the Eagles would be responsible for his extension, making him a relatively affordable acquisition.
Here’s every sack (17.5) from Trey Hendrickson’s 2024 NFL campaign. He led the league in sacks with 3.5 more than the next closest defender. Pay the man. pic.twitter.com/fPJLwVWO6c
— Daniel Salib (@salibdaniel1) August 19, 2025
As Barnwell notes, if any general manager in the NFL could pull off this move, it would be Howie Roseman, who has a history of acquiring elite talent through trades. While the Eagles already have a solid pass rush, Hendrickson would be a significant upgrade and could help them in their pursuit of back-to-back Super Bowl titles.
Despite boasting one of the NFL’s best rosters, the Eagles have a fair amount of cap space, sitting just under $29.7 million. That means they have the funds to offer Hendrickson the extension he has been seeking from the Bengals.
The Bengals have not shown a willingness to trade Hendrickson to this point, and that would need to change for any deal to materialize. If it did, though, this would be a blockbuster move that would shake up the NFL.
It would be a solid deal for both sides, and while Cincinnati is likely seeking more compensation than Barnwell’s proposal, the entire league knows Hendrickson is on an expiring contract. That reality could leave the Bengals’ front office desperate enough to take what they can get for one of their best players.
