Bengals Trey Hendrickson Trade Coyly Teased in Packers Coach Visit with Media

The Cincinnati Bengals and Trey Hendrickson have reached a real messy point in their relationship after the team stopped contract extension talks, meaning other contending teams are keeping an eye out and at least entertaining the idea of a trade.

Trey Hendrickson and the Cincinnati Bengals have an uncertain future as it pertains to their relationship. Contract extension discussions have soured with the team stopping them altogether last week. 

This led to Hendrickson appearing in front of media, putting the franchise on blast for their handling of the situation. He made it clear that he would not play under his current contract. 

Assuming neither side budges here, that leaves the parties with one of two options. Either Hendrickson continues his holdout and does not return to the team or the Bengals find a trade partner and say goodbye to the star pass rusher. 

There has not been really any change since last week but when analyzing a potential trade it is hard to imagine the Bengals not having a buyer interesting in adding a player who has 35 sacks over the last two seasons. 

Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur found that idea agreeable for his team during an appearance on "Up & Adams," subtly suggesting the AFC North franchise seek out another "great player."

“Hey, if it’s up to me, we’re never turning down great players. So, yeah, I’ll be up there talking to Guety and Russ [saying] ‘Do whatever you gotta do to bring in as many good players as possible.’ I know one thing, great players make great coaches, so if you have some great players, you’re going to be a better coach because of it.”

The Packers had a top-10 pass rush last season, so Hendrickson would be a welcomed addition to a group that posted 45 sacks in 2024. The rub with him will be the extension as that is what he clearly wants above all. 

Four of the Packers' top-five cap hits for next season will come on the defensive side and those deals span over the next few seasons. Carving out a future for Hendrickson and balancing their cap would be a challenge in that aspect. 

But as LaFleur mentions, having a collection of great players is far from a bad thing. If not the Packers, there may be other teams who start to take interest in Hendrickson.