The standoff between Trey Hendrickson and the Cincinnati Bengals is over... at least for now. While that means the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won't end up landing Hendrickson this year, there's still hope that they can acquire the star pass-rusher next spring.
Hendrickson and the Bengals might have worked out a deal before the start of the regular season but it's not a deal that ties him to Cincinnati past this year. He'll earn $30 million for the 2025 season but then will be a free agent, meaning anyone can sign him.
While the Bengals might be able to franchise tag Hendrickson at that point, one would have to think that Hendrickson and his agent made sure to get a "no-tag clause" put into this deal (though there are no reports of that being the case). That way the Bengals can't keep jerking him around and he can wipe his hands clean of the organization after the the 2025 season wraps.
Clearly, the Bengals don't want to commit to Hendrickson past this year. They're notorious for A) being cheap and B) not wanting to pay guys who are either 30 or approaching 30. The Buccaneers probably won't care that Hendrickson will be 31 years old when he hits free agency in the spring because there's no debating that he'd be a massive boost to their pass rush.
Trey Hendrickson door not closed yet for the Buccaneers
Bucs fans knew Hendrickson all too well at the beginning of his career, as he was a third-round pick of the Saints in the 2017 draft. While it took the Florida Atlantic product a few years to become the stud pass-rusher he is now, once he figured it out, it was clear he was going to be a problem for opposing quarterbacks for the foreseeable future. He tallied 13.5 sacks with the Saints in 2020 and showed what a force he could be.
Fortunately, Hendrickson bolted the NFC South in the 2021 offseason, signing with the Bengals and becoming a household name with his new team. In his four years with the Bengals, Hendrickson has had double-digit sacks in all but one season and has recorded 17.5 sacks in back-to-back years.
Considering the Bucs' need for pass-rushing help, targeting Hendrickson when he's finally available would be a no brainer move for Jason Licht. Sure he's going to command a lot of money and it might be risky to pay a 31-year-old a boatload of cash but Hendrickson has shown no signs of slowing down.
Let the Bengals' loss be the Buccaneers' gain.