With free agency officially upon the NFL, the Chicago Bears find themselves in need of an edge rusher perhaps more than any other player.
Both Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns and Maxx Crosby of the Las Vegas Raiders were potential trade targets of the Bears, and really every other team around the league interested in adding more pass rush to their defensive fronts. However, both Garrett and Crosby signed huge extensions with their current teams in recent days, taking each of them off the board.
While that depresses the trade market for pass rushers, Chicago could still get a bargain if the team decides to pursue Trey Hendrickson of the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals recently granted their star defensive end permission to seek a trade coming off his fourth consecutive Pro Bowl campaign and his first selection as a First-Team All-Pro. Hendrickson also finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2024.
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell explained why Hendrickson may still be a bargain for a team like the Bears, even despite less supply to meet the league-wide demand for pass rushers.
“There are fewer veteran edge rushers potentially available for trade to help drive down the cost of Cincinnati’s Trey Hendrickson,” Barnwell wrote on Monday, March 10. “If the Bengals really intend to trade their top edge rusher, there isn’t an alternative of similar caliber available on the market or in free agency, with all due respect to Josh Sweat and Joey Bosa. I would still be surprised if the Bengals landed a first-round pick for Hendrickson.”
The Bears own two picks near the top of the second round, and No. 39 should be enough to get the Bengals’ attention.
Trey Hendrickson Has Been Dominant Pass Rusher for Past 5 Years After Slow Start to Career
GettyCincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson.
Hendrickson led the league last season with 17.5 sacks, his second consecutive season posting that total.
In all, Hendrickson has produced 77 sacks over his eight-year career. However, he tallied just 6.5 sacks during his first three seasons combined, which injuries partially impacted. But Hendrickson has gotten to opposing quarterbacks a stunning 70.5 times over the past five seasons across 70 games played, which is an average just north of 1 sack per outing.
Hendrickson’s production over the last half decade renders him one of the best handful of edge rushers in the entire NFL, let alone among the best available this offseason.
Bears Must Be Careful on New Contract for Trey Hendrickson if Trade Happens
GettyDefensive end Trey Hendrickson of the Cincinnati Bengals
The biggest concern for Hendrickson is his age. He is already 30 and turns 31 in December.
Garrett is only one year younger, though he has been a more consistent presence defensively across the entirety of his career and just as dominant as Hendrickson over the past five seasons.
Spotrac projects Hendrickson’s market value at nearly $30 million annually, though only over a two-year deal. That is a good amount to spend for the Bears, particularly if they give up one of their top draft assets to bring him into the fold in the first place.
However, adding a year to the deal and bringing the annual average salary down a touch while perhaps increasing the guaranteed value by a somewhat commensurate amount could be a reasonable compromise for both the Bears and Hendrickson to make.
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