Trey

Hendrickson

The Bengals have left open the option to trade Hendrickson through the franchise tag, but that seems like a really unrealistic scenario on paper. Hendrickson would, after being tagged back-to-back years, be guaranteed a $30.2 million salary in 2026. He could simply sign the tag and likely do better for himself than he would on the free market. This feels a lot like the Vikings trying to drum up a market for Sam Darnold in a tag-and-trade last year — if a team can’t afford to tag the player and simply keep him, it’s hard to believe that a trade will come to fruition.

Bengals DC Lou Anarumo and DL coach Marion Hobby both coached Hendrickson, in the exact same roles, when all three were employed by the Bengals for four-plus seasons. Hendrickson’s relationship with the Bengals has soured, though the front office has thus far been unwilling to let the talented pass rusher leave town. This will be worth watching. Stay tuned.

Does this mean that Hendrickson will be on the Bengals’ roster in 2026? Garafolo answered that question by saying, “maybe, maybe not,” noting that a tag-and-trade scenario may be the goal. The two sides slapped a band-aid on Hendrickson’s offseason trade request last year by agreeing to a one-year deal that gave Hendrickson a $14 million raise for the 2025 season. Unfortunately, a core muscle injury, apparently suffered in Week 6, limited him to just seven games played. Hopefully, things will be resolved quickly.

Dehner bats around the idea of a franchise tag-and-trade scenario for Hendrickson, who he projects will get something close to the $29 million per season he made in 2025 despite missing most of the year with a core muscle injury that eventually required surgery. Ultimately, both sides are probably just tired of dealing with each other after back-to-back offseasons of contentious negotiations. We’d expect the Bengals to let Hendrickson — who should be considered one of the premiere free agents this offseason — walk.

Hendrickson underwent core muscle surgery to deal with the injury earlier this week. It is expected to sideline him for six weeks. With only a month left in the season, even a miraculous playoff berth by the Bengals wouldn’t guarantee Hendrickson a shot at playing again this year. It’s safe to assume Hednrickson’s season is over. His time with the Bengals could also be at an end. Hendrickson has been stuck at a contractual standstill with the Bengals for years. The 2024 sack leader has been eying a new deal for a while and Cincinnati’s front office has refused to meet his demands while also throwing shots his way in the media. He is set to hit free agency in the offseason and will command a massive contract on the open market.

In a bit of a sourceoff, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport would only report that surgery is on the table, not that Hendrickson is “set to undergo” the surgery. Either way, undergoing the surgery would knock Hendrickson out for approximately six weeks, meaning his season would be over barring a miracle Bengals playoff appearance. It does feel like we’ve seen the last of Hendrickson for 2025, and it would appear that he’ll enter free agency unless the Bengals franchise tag him.

Always good to get that out of the way early. Hendrickson hasn’t played since October 26 and per Taylor will visit a specialist. We’d be surprised if we see Hendrickson again this season barring a miracle Bengals playoff run.

No surprises here. Burton was suspended earlier this morning, and Hendrickson was ruled out earlier in the week with a hip injury. Browning is the emergency third quarterback.

Taylor said Hendrickson was doubtful entering the week before saying the star pass rusher is still considered “week-to-week” when asked about his future availability. Hendrickson has missed three straight games due to his injury and is primarily working with trainers, per Taylor. We’ll see if Hendrickson can get back on the field come Week 15 when the Bengals face the Ravens.

No surprise that a player in protocol will miss a short-week game. Brooks’ absence will leave the Bengals with little behind Chase Brown unless Samaje Perine is able to return from a high-ankle sprain on Thursday. Gary Brightwell, a special teamer, is the only other back on the roster. Kendall Milton is hanging out on the practice squad. Don’t be surprised to see Bengals RB workouts ahead of Thursday’s game. Trey Hendrickson (hip) was also ruled out for Thursday, as usual.