The Cincinnati Bengals entered the NFL trade deadline coming off a brutal Week 9 loss, collapsing at the very end to the Chicago Bears on a miraculous late touchdown.
In the wake of such a loss, the Bengals were viewed as more serious sellers. Logan Wilson was traded to the Dallas Cowboys, but pass rusher Trey Hendrickson was the player drawing the most intrigue.
But Hendrickson wasn't traded despite interest from around the NFL. As Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports, there were two main reasons why the Bengals couldn't work out a trade of Hendrickson by the 2025 NFL trade deadline.
Two reasons why Bengals' Trey Hendrickson wasn't traded by the NFL deadline
"There was plenty of discussion about Bengals edge rusher Trey Hendrickson," Rapoport reports, "but when it all became real on Monday and Tuesday, sources say no offer was better than a fourth-round pick for 2024's sack champion."
Cincinnati was widely known to be seeking a second-round pick for Hendrickson. He's a half-season rental, but the Bengals still were seeking a premium draft asset for the All-Pro pass rusher.
This high asking price for Hendrickson and the subsequent low offers are one reason why the Bengals didn't trade Hendrickson by the NFL trade deadline. The other reason is due to his injury.
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"One contributing factor might have been health," Rapoaport reports. "With Hendrickson missing time recently for a hip injury. Teams could not have given him a physical before agreeing to terms, making it more complicated."
If a team trying to trade for Hendrickson couldn't get a grasp of his status going forward, the Bengals' high asking price would be even more difficult to match.
Hendrickson missed Week 9 with a hip injury, and while it's not expected to be season-ending, the immediate status of Hendrickson is up in the air.
Sending a second-round pick, or even a third-round pick, for an injured pass rusher whose return isn't known is too big a risk for most teams to take.
Between the Bengals' high asking price and subsequent low offers, along with Hendrickson's injury, the chances of the All-Pro Pass rusher being traded were slim to none.
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