As the Cincinnati Bengals look to end their three-year playoff drought, major evaluation needs to be done this offseason compared to the rest. With one of the highest-level offenses in the NFL, the Bengals need to use every aspect of the offseason to improve the defense in order to compete in the postseason. 

While there are question marks at nearly every position on that side of the football, the earliest (and potentially most important) decision revolves around the superstar edge rusher, Trey Hendrickson. After leading the league in sacks in 2024, he went down with a season-ending hip/pelvis injury in mid-December of last season that resulted in him receiving core muscle surgery. 

Cincinnati Bengals edge rusher Trey Hendrickson (91) |© Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

There have been contract negotiations between the former Florida Atlantic Owl and Cincinnati for multiple years now, and it seems they may never see eye-to-eye on a reasonable number. Hendrickson has entered himself into the conversation for the top available free agent this offseason, able to command as much money as anyone in his position, which reaches up to $40 million per year. 

General manager Duke Tobin spoke to the media on Tuesday, discussing several key measures that the Bengals need to complete this offseason, starting with Hendrickson. 

“I don’t throw anything on or off the table with Trey [Hendrickson],” said Tobin. “We’re excited about attacking this offseason. We have resources to attack the offseason in a big way, and we want to do that.” 

The options for how to attack the Hendrickson situation seem plentiful at this point, but it’s truly unknown where the relationship stands between the superstar and the franchise where he’s spent the last five seasons. Whether the former No. 103 pick in the 2017 NFL Draft actually wants to stay in Cincinnati is yet to be made aware of, but the last thing Tobin can do for the Bengals is let him walk for free.

First, the easiest and simplest way to end this whole drama that has lasted nearly two years is to pay the man. He has proven his ability by achieving double-digit sacks in four years of a five-year stretch, and although his contract will justifiably be steep, the Bengals possess the cap space. Going into the offseason, Cincinnati ranked seventh in overall salary cap space with over $53 million. 

While Hendrickson may feel he deserves to be paid around $35+ million annually, the fact of the matter is that not many teams possess that type of money outside of some of the worst teams in the NFL. If he and Tobin can agree upon a slightly lower number to help the team contend for a Super Bowl, then that may be the most effective of all options. 

Cincinnati Bengals edge rusher Trey Hendrickson (91) | © Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Second, Cincinnati has the option to use its franchise tag to keep him for one more year or receive draft compensation should he sign with another team this summer. It seems unlikely that the Bengals can use the tag and simultaneously keep him without signing him to an extension due to his high demand. 

What they can do after using the tag is trade him. The money would need to fit, and the Bengals would need to receive fair compensation in a scenario as such. Tobin detailed the difficulty of a tag-and-trade scenario throughout this press conference when asked about the specific idea.

“All trades are difficult,” said Tobin. “You gotta find a partner … you have to have some cooperation with your players that you’re talking about this with. Trades can be complicated, and that hypothetical situation that you’re talking about can be complicated. 

The absolute worst way to go about this offseason is to let him freely sign with another team. It seems there isn’t a world where Hendrickson doesn't finally get paid this summer, so there needs to be certainty that the Bengals make sure that he’s either getting paid to be in Cincinnati for years to come, or they are getting assets in return to help them get back to Super Bowl contention this season and beyond.