Something still has to happen in the Trey Hendrickson saga.
The Cincinnati Bengals' defensive superstar has made it clear he won't play the 2025 season on his current $16 million contract. And with the regular season less than two weeks away, something's gotta give.
Either the Bengals give Hendrickson an extension, they trade him, or he keeps sitting out and helps no one.
ESPN's Bill Barnwell sees a path to a trade to end the drama, suggesting the Philadelphia Eagles as the partner in a deal.
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Barnwell suggests the Eagles trade edge rusher Jalyx Hunt, a 2026 third-round pick and a conditional pick in 2027 for Hendrickson.
"He can't keep getting away with this, can he? If there's anybody who might get creative to strike a deal for the most expensive player left on the market, it's Philadelphia general manager Howie Roseman, who has a Super Bowl-caliber roster, a team owner perpetually willing to spend more money and questions about what was recently the league's deepest defensive line," Barnwell writes.
It'd certainly be a massive move for the defending champs to plug a hole after offseason departures by adding a guy who has had 17.5 sacks each of the past two seasons.
They'd likely have to extend Hendrickson after getting him, which would be the biggest hurdle.
"Could they afford Hendrickson? If they want to get creative, sure," Barnwell writes. "He might need to compromise a bit to get a deal done, but the Eagles could give him a contract with what amounts to two years and $70 million in guarantees with some void years and unguaranteed money tacked on to create cap flexibility. They have just under $30 million in cap space available, so while they'll want to roll some of that money over to next season, room under the cap isn't really an issue."
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The Bengals would get a player and a pick in return, like they reportedly want.
"The Eagles might have to part with a prospect they like in Hunt, who has been ticketed for a larger role this season," Barnwell writes. "While the 2024 third-round pick had only 1.5 sacks and three knockdowns on 241 snaps during the regular season, he repeated those figures across 103 playoff snaps during Philly's run to the Super Bowl. He would offer meaningful surplus value over the next few years, as he is set to make just under $4 million between now and 2027, all of which is unguaranteed. Hunt is a valuable player with real upside, but he's not Hendrickson."
This deal would finally end the drama. Whether it would work out in the long run for Cincinnati would likely depend mostly on Hunt's development.
For the Eagles, it'd put them right back in the thick of Super Bowl contention.
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