The Baltimore Ravens didn’t win any friends when they backed out of a trade with the Las Vegas Raiders for NFL All-Pro edge rusher Maxx Crosby that would have sent a pair of 1st round picks to the Raiders.
In the wake of the Crosby fiasco, the Ravens moved quickly to sign former Cincinnati Bengals edge rusher Trey Hendrickson to a 4-year, $112 million free-agent contract — a player who has tortured the Ravens for years.
That’s big money to spend on a 31-year-old former All-Pro coming off his worst season since 2019 after Hendrickson finished with just 4.0 sacks in 2025, and Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon predicts the move will “backfire” on the Ravens in 2026.
There are also injuries to account for. Hendrickson missed 10 games in 2025 due to a sports hernia.
“Baltimore was clearly in the market for a veteran pass-rusher to bolster a defense that struggled to make plays, generate pressure and limit opposing offense altogether in 2025. In this case, they took one away from a division rival as well,” Gagnon wrote. “This was probably a panic move after a deal for Maxx Crosby fell through due to medical concerns. The problem is, Hendrickson is 31 years old and coming off a season derailed by lingering core muscle injuries. Entering his 10th season, he might not have a lot left in the tank. And yet, the team is financially married to him for the next three years. They might have been better off bringing back the younger and cheaper Odafe Oweh.”
Oweh signed his own big-money deal — a 4-year, $100 million contract with the Washington Commanders.
Big-Money Incentives Await Trey Hendrickson
Hendrickson, 6-foot-4 and 265 pounds, had consecutive seasons with 17.5 sacks in 2023 and 2024. He led the NFL in sacks in 2024 on the way to earning NFL All-Pro honors and is a 4-time Pro Bowler.
The contract Hendrickson signed with the Ravens includes $60 million in guaranteed money, including a $20 million signing bonus. He’ll receive an additional $500,000 for hitting 8, 10, 12, and 14 sacks each season — a cushy $2 million in incentives.
Trey Hendrickson Warred With Cincy’s Front Office
Hendrickson spent the entirety of the 2 years leading up to signing with the Ravens in a nasty contract dispute with the Bengals as he sought a long-term contract extension, including multiple trade requests. He finally signed a 1-year, $29 million contract in August 2025 but was largely sidelined as the Bengals went 6-11 and missed the playoffs for a third consecutive season.
With such a down year, Hendrickson’s asking price of $30 million had gone down significantly — until the Crosby deal fell through.
Fox Sports NFL reporter Greg Auman had Hendrickson at No. 3 on his list of the Top 100 NFL free agents in the 2026 free agent cycle. ESPN had him ranked as the No. 1 available free agent.
The Ravens have a pair of young, hungry edge rushers who dropped to the 2nd round due to off-field issues to pair with Hendrickson — 2025 draft pick Mike Green and 2026 draft pick Zion Young.
Hendrickson has already received praise for his leadership in the offseason.
“Just to watch his process of how he learns, how he needs to know what he needs to know and also know what everybody else is doing,” Ravens head coach Jesse Minter said. “He’s an unbelievable leader in the edge room. He’s helping really bring those young guys along as well.”
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