{The Ultimate Bengals Offseason Extravaganza Thread}

[BFritz21]

I thought we were closing in on a deal with Hendrickson, but then I saw this page on BleacherReport that had five teams that could possibly trade us for Trey, and then I also saw a few more possibilities posted in the past few hours that I'll mention.

Patriots

Quote:Patriots Get: Edge Trey Hendrickson
Bengals Get: 2025 second-round pick (38th overall)

We should start by examining teams that can afford to pay Hendrickson top-of-the-market value. According to Russini, while clubs haven't been willing to meet Cincinnati's asking price, they are willing to meet the player's contract demands.

Even after a flurry of early offseason activity, the New England Patriots still lead the league with $68.7 million in effective cap space. They also have numerous needs on the roster—aside from quarterback, as Drake Maye appears to be a long-term answer.

The Patriots added edge-rushers Harold Landry III and K'Lavon Chaisson in free agency, but there's room for another high-level sack artist in New England. The Pats recorded just 28 sacks as a team last season, and they could use an influx of defensive leadership.

Hendrickson could provide both production and strong locker room leadership, and new head coach Mike Vrabel got an up-close look at just how impactful he can be as a Cleveland Browns consultant last season.

While the Bengals may prefer a hefty trade package, teams are unlikely to offer anything outlandish given the need to immediately extend Hendrickson.
A high second-round pick would be a fair offer from the Patriots, as it would give Cincinnati an opportunity to potentially replace Hendrickson with a pass-rushing prospect such as Texas A&M's Nic Scourton or Ohio State's JT Tuimoloau.

I think Vrabel would like to get his hands on Hendrickson and they have the money to extend him. I'd be happy with this because then we can draft a pass rushing tackle like Nolen to put at the 3 and take pressure off the end we'd also draft to replace Trey, and then still have a pick to draft one of the guards to protect Burrow and open holes for Chase (doesn't have to be in that order).

Lions

Quote:Lions Get: Edge Trey Hendrickson, 2025 second-round pick (49th overall)
Bengals Get: 2025 first-round pick (28th overall)

It's no secret the Detroit Lions could use a high-end edge-rushing complement opposite Aidan Hutchinson.

While they brought back Marcus Davenport, he has a lengthy injury history and cannot be expected to be a legitimate difference-maker. They also released 2024 trade acquisition Za'Darius Smith early in the offseason.

Detroit's tendency to draft and develop players will likely lead the team to the draft for its next pass-rusher. The B/R Scouting Department recently paired the Lions with Georgia's Mykel Williams in its latest mock draft.

If the right defensive prospect isn't available in Round 1, general manager Brad Holmes may want to call Cincinnati to try swinging a draft-day trade.

While trading back into Round 1 from 49th overall might not provide the Bengals with their desired compensation, it would give them the chance to add two rookie contracts that include the fifth-year option. That could be quite valuable as they look to financially juggle the top-end contracts of Chase, Higgins and Joe Burrow in the coming years.

For the Lions, pairing Hendrickson (17.5 sacks in 2024) with Hutchinson (11.5 sacks in 2023) would provide one of the league's top pass-rushing duos.
Paying Hendrickson would be feasible, as Detroit has $43 million in cap space available.

I think we're giving up too much there because we're basically giving up Hendrickson and moving up 21 picks for another first rounder while giving up our second rounder. We get bamboozled there, IMCO.

Colts

Quote:Colts Get: Edge Trey Hendrickson, 2025 first-round pick (17th overall)
Bengals Get: 2025 first-round pick (14th overall), 2025 second-round pick (45th overall)

With just $22.6 million in cap space, the Indianapolis Colts don't have quite as much financial flexibility as some other teams on this list. However, they might be able to provide Hendrickson with his most obvious fit.

Former Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, who was fired after the 2024 season, now holds the same position in Indianapolis.

The Colts could also use another edge-rusher as part of their defensive makeover. They added cornerback Charvarius Ward and safety Camryn Bynum to the back end during free agency, but they lost edge-rusher Dayo Odeyingbo to the Chicago Bears.

In Indianapolis, Hendrickson would immediately become the headliner of an edge rotation that also includes Kwity Paye and 2024 first-round pick Laiatu Latu—even if the Colts expect big things from Latu.

"I think you'll see a big jump from Year 1 to Year 2," head coach Shane Steichen said of Latu, per JJ Stankevitz of the team's official website.

For the chance to reunite Hendrickson with Anarumo, the Colts could offer up their second-round pick and a chance to move up a few spots in Round 1.

Same as the Lions, I think we're giving up too much to just basically move up and only get one extra pick because I don't think there's a game-changer that we could draft by moving up. You could say we could use it to trade for more picks or players, but it's too risky for me.

49ers

Quote:49ers Get: Edge Trey Hendrickson, 2025 first-round pick (17th overall)
Bengals Get: 2025 first-round pick (11th overall), 2025 third-round pick (75th overall), 2025 third-round pick (100th overall)

While the San Francisco 49ers may not be undergoing a full-on rebuild this offseason, they have allowed several key contributors to walk and must now find ways to replace them.

Pass-rusher Leonard Floyd was among the departures, as he was released during the legal-contact window. The 49ers have yet to replace him and are still searching for a quality complement to edge-rusher Nick Bosa.

There was some speculation that San Francisco would try to pair Bosa with his brother, Joey, following his release from the Los Angeles Chargers. However, the elder Bosa signed with the Buffalo Bills instead, and it appears he was never particularly close to joining the 49ers.

"It didn't sound like that got close at all, really, to happening," NFL Network's Ian Rapoport said last month (h/t David Bonilla of 49ers Webzone).

The 49ers could look for their No. 2 pass-rusher in the draft—the B/R Scouting Department recently mocked Texas A&M's Shemar Stewart to San Francisco. With $40.3 million in cap space, they could also consider pivoting to Hendrickson.

San Francisco is equipped with two third-round picks—it was awarded a special compensatory selection for the external hirings of DeMeco Ryans and Ran Carthon. It could offer both selections, along with a fairly sizeable first-round jump, to Cincinnati for Hendrickson.

I don't like giving up Hendrickson and a pick, but this is probably my second-favorite option because we at least get two more picks.

Packers

Quote:Packers Get: Edge Trey Hendrickson, 2025 third-round pick (81st overall)
Bengals Get: CB Jaire Alexander, 2025 second-round pick (54th overall)

The Green Bay Packers have one of the NFL's youngest rosters and are likely to continue building through their draft-and-develop strategy. But targeting Hendrickson would make sense since they are also exploring the idea of trading cornerback Jaire Alexander.

While Alexander has struggled to stay healthy over the past two years, the Packers aren't about to let him go for pennies.

"We invested a lot in Jaire and we want to make sure if he's not going to be on our football team helping us win games, that we get something back for that investment," general manager Brian Gutekunst said, per Mark Oldacres of Packers Wire.

Hendrickson would represent a solid return on Green Bay's investment. The Packers would likely need to sweeten the deal because of Alexander's recent injury history, but a favorable day-2 pick swap might move the needle for Cincinnati.

Alexander is a two-time Pro Bowler and one of the league's top cover corners when healthy. He's also just 28 years old and could aid a Bengals defense that ranked 21st in passing yards allowed last season.

The Packers could use some additional help on the edge, too. While their defense recorded 45 sacks in 2024, Rashan Gary was the only defender to log more than five. Kingsley Enagbare was second among Packers edge defenders with just 4.5 sacks.

Extending Hendrickson would be an option, as Green Bay still has $32.5 million in cap space available.

With the Packers open to moving on from Alexander and the Bengals possibly having little choice with Hendrickson, this could be the sort of win-win trade that allows both franchises to consider themselves winners.

We really need a corner to upgrade our secondary and, while we give up a third, we pick up an extra second, so we could draft a tackle and end to improve our pass rush but then we'd also get much needed help in our secondary.

I think this is my favorite option.

Which do you like?

Do you see any of them happening?