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Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson.
All season long, the Washington Commanders were told what they weren’t supposed to do. They weren’t supposed to win many games. They weren’t supposed to make the playoffs. They weren’t supposed to be Super Bowl contenders.
What they actually were was pretty stunning, with a 12-5 regular season record and a spot in the NFC Championship Game for the first time since 1991 despite preseason projections that set their over/under win total at 6.5 victories.
Following a humbling, 55-23 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on January 26, the Commanders can now take stock of what they need the most this offseason, and do so with almost $100 million in salary cap space.
The top three priorities are, in no particular order, adding an elite edge rusher, an elite offensive tackle and a second wide receiver option to Terry McLaurin — or a 1A and 1B situation at the position like the Eagles have with A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.
We can safely assume at least one of those spots will be directly addressed in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft, where NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah has the Commanders projected to take Ohio State offensive tackle Josh Simmons in his latest mock draft.
To get an edge rusher, the Commanders should consider a bold move that could secure the short-term future of the defense and trade for Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson, who led the NFL with 17.5 sacks in 2024.
Two things the Commanders could use to their advantage in a prospective deal for Hendrickson; he’s also disgruntled — he asked to be traded before the season — and plays for one of the NFL’s most notoriously tight-fisted ownership groups.
Figuring Out What Hendrickson Deal Looks Like
Another thing the Commanders would have working for them in a trade for Hendrickson would be his age. At 30 years old, he’s not going to garner anything close to a deal like fellow NFL All-Pro defensive end Myles Garrett signed with the Cleveland Browns in March 2020 for 5 years and $125 million when he was just 24 years old.
Hendrickson, who is scheduled to make $16 million in 2025, has a projected market value of a 2-year, $44.9 million, according to Spotrac.
If the Commanders think Hendrickson does have at least 1-2 seasons left in him playing at an elite level, they could offer a sign-and-trade that has Hendrickson receive a 2-year, $50 million contract extension. They would also have to ship second and third round picks to the Bengals — most likely both in the 2025 draft but it would be worth asking if they could be split up between 2025 and 2026.
Bengals Ownership Loathe to Spend Big Money
The Bengals might be primed for a deal that rids themselves of any sort of financial commitment to Hendrickson.
That’s because they’re already staring down a way higher rate for NFL All-Pro wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase this offseason than if they had signed him to an extension before 2024 — when he won the receiving triple crown — and are likely to shell out something along the lines of a 4-year, $145 million contract extension with $100 million guaranteed.
Longtime NFL fans can attest to the fact that Bengals owner Mike Brown isn’t the type of owner who is going to hand out 2 massive deals in one offseason, and not after paying quarterback Joe Burrow what was then an NFL record 5-year, $275 million contract extension before the 2023 season … followed by back-to-back years without a playoff berth.
