Why Bengals didn't hold onto Trey Hendrickson before Ravens deal

Much has been said and written about the Baltimore Ravens pivoting from not acquiring Las Vegas Raiders defensive star Maxx Crosby to agreeing to sign Cincinnati Bengals pass-rusher Trey Hendrickson to a four-year, $112M contract that includes $60M in fully guaranteed money.

However, it's gotten somewhat lost in the shuffle that Cincinnati basically made no real effort to retain Hendrickson following the 2025 season. Bengals insider Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic recently tried to explain why the club "wasn’t willing to bet on Hendrickson" over the past couple of years. 

What the Bengals didn't love about Trey Hendrickson's game

"The Bengals weren’t going to guarantee money beyond the first year, and certainly not guarantee anything in the $60M range," Dehner wrote about the team's feelings on Hendrickson. "They never had an interest in the 2026 value of Hendrickson. ...They lamented Hendrickson’s lack of effectiveness against the run. Sure, he contributed 47.5 sacks over the last four seasons, but only nine non-sack tackles for loss. Crosby posted 49 over that span."

Hendrickson wanted either to receive a multiyear deal from the Bengals or be traded to a club willing to sign him to such a contract last offseason. Instead, he ultimately accepted a revised deal from the Bengals that gave him a raise for 2025 and also kept him in a contract year. He then played in just seven games this past season before he needed core surgery in December. 

"The Bengals were concerned about Hendrickson’s age, so they balked at a multiyear deal or guarantees in a second season, which Baltimore agreed upon," Dehner continued. "He turns 32 in December, and the ceiling of his impact comes into question, coming off a core muscle injury."

Were Bengals right about Trey Hendrickson all along?

While the Crosby saga involving the Raiders and Ravens was playing out behind the scenes, the market for Hendrickson's services seemed to come in much lower than he had expected. Dehner suggested the Bengals were actually proven right regarding what Hendrickson was "worth" to Cincinnati and to other clubs. 

"The funny part about the haggling and the desire to see his value on the open market was that Hendrickson’s value essentially landed at the same level where the Bengals placed it in recent years," Dehner added. "They agreed to a raise, lifting his salary to $29M for the final year of his expiring deal. His market hovered in the range of $25M to $27M throughout most of free agency, with Baltimore coming over the top after the Crosby deal fell through." 

What's done is done, and Hendrickson could now have two opportunities to face his former employer next season. Then again, recent history shows he may miss at least one of those games due to some sort of physical setback.