The Chicago Bears have made significant changes to their offense this offseason. However, they could still make a big splash on defense before the season starts.
Back in 2018, the Bears were heading into the season with a new, offensive-minded head coach and a second-year quarterback. They made a huge trade to acquire Khalil Mack and sign him to a $141 million extension. Now, they have another new offensive-minded head coach in Ben Johnson and a new second-year quarterback in Caleb Williams. Could history repeat itself with the Bears acquiring Trey Hendrickson.
Hendrickson has been looking for a new deal for over a year, but the Cincinnati Bengals have not given him one yet. He played this season without an extension and had a league-leading 17.5 sacks. He was a First-Team All-Pro. On May 12, an unexpected statement he made to ESPN was released, outlining his contract situation and voicing his frustration.
"No communication has taken place between my camp and the organization post draft," Hendrickson said per Adam Schefter on X. "The offers prior to the draft did not reflect the vision we shared and were promised last offseason if I continued to play at a high level. Coaches are aware of these past conversations. Rather than using collaboration to get us to a point to bring me home to the team, THEY are no longer communicating. I have been eagerly awaiting a resolution of this situation, but that’s hard to do when there is no discussion and an evident lack of interest in reaching mutual goals."
A holdout is realistic for Hendrickson. The Bengals just spent big on their two superstar wide receivers, and may not be able to give Hendrickson what he is looking for. A trade would net the Bengals draft picks to build for the future.
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Hendrickson would not be cheap, but would be cheaper than the two first-round picks, third-round pick and sixth-round pick the Bears paid for Mack in 2018. Hendrickson is 30 years old. He is a four-time Pro Bowler and has 70.5 sacks in the last five years. Pairing him with Montez Sweat would give the Bears an elite pass rush in a division stacked with explosive offenses.
Many teams will call about Hendrickson now that his frustrations have been made public. The Bears could instantly become contenders in the NFC North by adding him to their defense.
