The Trey Hendrickson and Cincinnati Bengals contract extension standoff took another turn with the team now entertaining trade offers for defensive end Trey Hendrickson, according to Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
NFL Insider Jordan Schultz reported that the Cleveland Browns, Carolina Panthers, and Indianapolis Colts had already shown early interest in trading for Hendrickson.
It remains to be seen whether this is a negotiating tactic from the Bengals or perhaps they are serious about ending this saga before the 2025 NFL season begins. Nonetheless, a trade of Hendrickson impacts Cincinnati's playoff chances.
Are the Bengals playoff contenders without Trey Hendrickson?
On Monday's edition of "First Take," ESPN NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky spoke about Cincinnati's playoff prospects should they go through and pull the trigger on a deal that would send Hendrickson out of town.
"I firmly believe that no player outside of quarterbacks can change the variance of the floor and ceiling for their team like Trey Hendrickson can for the Bengals," Orlovsky said. "Without him, I do not believe they're a playoff team. This was their best defender last year, Trey Hendrickson, on a historically bad defense.
"To remind everybody, this is a team that went 3-4 last year—three wins, four losses—when they scored 33 or more points. The rest of the NFL went 79-7 in that regard. They're the first defense and team in NFL history to lose four games in a season when scoring 33 or more points. We're talking about taking the best player off a defense that was bad."
"Without him, I do not believe [the Bengals] are a playoff team."
— First Take (@FirstTake) August 18, 2025
—@DanOrlovsky7 on Trey Hendrickson 😯 pic.twitter.com/o2cJBGzC30
Moreover, Orlovsky notes that there's middle ground for the Bengals as they are either a Super Bowl contender with Hendrickson or a non-playoff team should Cincinnati trade him.
MORE: Lions' trade pitch for Trey Hendrickson is a fitting compromise with Bengals
"Without him, I do not think that they're a playoff team," Orlovsky added. "With him, I think they can win the Super Bowl because the offense is that good… Because Joe [Burrow], Ja'Marr [Chase] and Tee [Higgins] are so good, this is a super contender if they're on. But without him, they're not a playoff team."