The Green Bay Packers will have opportunities to improve their defensive front in the 2025 NFL draft next month, but they might not have to wait that long to add a game-changing pass rusher to their roster for the upcoming season.
The Packers had trouble consistently getting after opposing quarterbacks during the 2024 season despite having significant draft resources sunk into their defensive line. While they finished tied for eighth in sacks (45) last season, their defensive front had the seventh-worst pass-rush win rate (35%) in the league — a flaw that held them back.
To address the issue, the Packers could draft another defensive lineman, but their line already includes four former first-round picks — Rashan Gary, Lukas Van Ness, Kenny Clark and Devonte Wyatt — which could prompt them to take a … bolder approach.
The 33rd Team’s Ian Valentino recently projected a series of trades that make “too much sense” before the start of the draft on April 24, including one that would have the Packers send a “haul” to the Cincinnati Bengals for sack artist Trey Hendrickson.
The Packers receive: EDGE Trey Hendrickson
The Bengals receive: A first-round pick (No. 23) and a fifth-round pick (No. 159) in 2025 along with the Packers’ second-round pick in 2026.
“Coming off four straight Pro Bowls and an All-Pro season, the 30-year-old Hendrickson is still at the peak of his powers,” Valentino wrote. “The Packers have one high-level presence in Rashan Gary on the roster but are otherwise too reliant on rotational talents and scheming to create opportunities. Hendrickson solves that immediately and can be the bridge into future years when Gary will also exit his prime years.”
Would Trey Hendrickson Trade Solve Packers’ Problems?
Hendrickson is one of the top talents on the trade market after the Bengals granted him permission to seek a trade earlier this month. Not only has the elite pass rusher made the Pro Bowl roster in four consecutive seasons, but he has also recorded 17.5 sacks in back-to-back seasons, leading all NFL defenders with his sacks total in 2024.
Hendrickson will also cost just $21 million total in 2025 under his current deal; though, his desire for a new contract — one that could pay him more than $30 million annually — is the primary reason for him requesting a trade away from the Bengals.
According to Over the Cap, the Packers have roughly $31 million in available cap space for the 2025 season, putting them in a position where they could afford to both trade for Hendrickson and sign him to a lucrative contract extension deserving of his talent.
Would Hendrickson solve the problems with their defensive front, though?
From a win-rate perspective, Hendrickson is a killer. He finished with the second-best individual pass-rush win rate (24%) among NFL edge rushers in 2024, recording a second-most 72 wins, according to ESPN’s tracking. Given the opportunity to work for the Packers, his elite abilities could benefit everyone else around him on the line.
The Packers would still need to justify the high-end cost — which, in Valentino’s pitch, would cost them their first-round pick, additional picks and much of their remaining cap space — but GM Brian Gutekunst believes his team can contend in 2025.
If he also believes Hendrickson can push them over the edge, a trade would make sense.
Packers’ Draft-And-Develop Method Remains More Likely
Valentino’s proposed trade price tag for Hendrickson is a bit rich for the Packers’ tastes. In reality, the Bengals might need to settle for considerably less than what he suggested since Hendrickson — according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler — “has no intention of playing under his current contract” for the 2025 season, a move that could lead to a holdout.
Even if the Bengals sought a lower trade price, though, the Packers might prefer to stick with their traditional method of drafting and developing talent to bolster their D-line.
The Packers might not prioritize their defensive line with the No. 23 pick in the draft with other needs at cornerback and wide receiver, but they will have other chances to supplement the group in the draft in a way that would cost them considerably less than trading for and extending Hendrickson. A rookie pick won’t be as polished as him, but the Packers have a supporting cast that could set up a rookie for immediate success.
The Packers might also feel that personnel is less of a problem than coaching.
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur fired defensive line coach Jason Rebrovich earlier this offseason and hired former New England defensive coordinator Demarcus Covington as his replacement. If the team believes a new coach can get more out of their current edge rushers — and potentially a new rookie — a Hendrickson trade falls out of fashion fast.
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