The Cincinnati Bengals will face Trey Hendrickson and the Baltimore Ravens twice a year.
Trey Hendrickson will play his sixth season in the AFC North when the NFL season resumes in September. But he’ll be wearing a different uniform. Hendrickson departed the Cincinnati Bengals in free agency, bringing an end to five productive seasons as the team’s premier pass rusher.
His relationship with the Bengals front office began breaking down two offseasons ago. After posting back-to-back 17.5-sack seasons in 2023 and 2024, he sought long-term security. Cincinnati reportedly responded with incentive-heavy, short-term proposals that left performance bonuses largely out of his control.
In April 2025, Hendrickson publicly called executive vice president Katie Blackburn’s comments on negotiations “disappointing” and cited poor direct contact with his agent. He played the 2025 season under a revised salary before a hip injury ended his year after just seven games.
The Bengals ultimately declined to use the franchise tag in March, freeing him as an unrestricted free agent. But what happened next stung. Days after the Baltimore Ravens backed out of a trade for Maxx Crosby due to medical concerns, they pivoted and signed Hendrickson to a four-year, $112 million contract, worth up to $120 million with incentives and $60 million fully guaranteed. This means Joe Burrow and the Bengals offense will now face Hendrickson twice a year.
Bengals GM had few things to say about Trey Hendrickson’s departure
Duke Tobin was asked this week about seeing Hendrickson in a Ravens uniform. His answer was brief and pointed: “I don’t think much about that anymore. I’m looking forward to seeing Boye [Mafe] and Cashius [Howell] and our new guys in our uniforms.”
In five seasons with Cincinnati, Hendrickson played 72 regular-season games and recorded 61 sacks, 114 solo tackles, four Pro Bowl selections, and one All-Pro nod. Since 2021, he ranked second in the NFL in pressure rate at 13.2 percent and fourth in total sacks with 61. He was, for a sustained stretch, the most productive edge rusher in football.
Hendrickson’s exit, alongside Joseph Ossai’s departure, forced the Bengals to make significant free-agency investments at the position, landing Boye Mafe on a three-year, $60 million deal and bolstering the interior with Jonathan Allen. Then came the 2026 NFL Draft, where Cincinnati selected Texas A&M edge rusher Cashius Howell at No. 41 overall.
Hendrickson joins a Ravens defense that was tied for 28th in the NFL in sacks last season with 30.0, giving Baltimore the disruptive edge presence they desperately needed. Cincinnati, meanwhile, now boasts an improved defensive line that, on paper, could hold its own weight against any offense in the AFC.