Trey Hendrickson trade rumors: NFC South contenders eyeing Bengals All-Pro DE amid contract standoff

The future of Trey Hendrickson as a Cincinnati Bengal is in doubt as his contract standoff took a new turn on Sunday. Reports indicated that the Bengals are entertaining offers from other teams for the defensive end.

NFL insider Jordan Schultz named three franchises that could be in the running to acquire Hendrickson.

"The Panthers, Browns and Colts are among the teams that have shown interest in trading for Bengals All-Pro Trey Hendrickson, per multiple sources," Schultz tweeted.

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While Schlutz named the Carolina Panthers, Cleveland Browns and Indianapolis Colts, the Panthers are the most realistic landing spot based on the team's preference.

Cincinnati does not want to send a good player to one of its divisional rivals, which rules out the Browns.

Additionally, the Colts could be battling with the Bengals for a wild-card spot in the playoffs. The addition of Hendrickson could be the difference, so Cincinnati likely does not want to send him there.

This leaves Carolina as the most suitable landing spot for Hendrickson out of the three teams listed by Schlutz.

Whoever gets Hendrickson will gain an experienced player who is in his prime. In 2024, Hendrickson recorded a career-high 46 tackles and led the league with 17.5 sacks, which he also amassed in the previous campaign.

The 2025 season will be his ninth in the NFL, and many are expecting a similar output from him.

Why would the Carolina Panthers be a good fit for Trey Hendrickson?

If Trey Hendrickson leaves the Cincinnati Bengals, the Carolina Panthers are a sensible landing spot for him.

The Panthers had a rough past couple of seasons, and last year, their defense was one of the worst in the league. They were ranked last in generating pressure when the quarterback dropped back and gave the opposing QBs the most time to throw on average (2.75 seconds).

The potential addition of Hendrickson will help the team improve these figures.

His experience at pressuring and sacking quarterbacks make him one of the best in the league, and a solution to the Panthers' issues in the pass rush.

About the author

Ben Tredinnick is a journalist who covers college football and college basketball at Sportskeeda who is currently studying for a masters in Data Science. His degree in Psychology has helped him gain an in-depth understanding of the minds of coaches.

Ben has been involved in sports writing since 2022 and covered the NFL previously. His strengths include providing in-depth profiles of athletes and coaches, with a particular focus on development, and looking at which teams could be in the hunt for today's college stars.

Ben enjoys following college sports more than the NBA or NFL because there is more variation in terms of playstyles. The tournaments are often more competitive than the major leagues, and due to the constant turnover of players, there are rarely any "superteams" in college sports.

He prioritizes research, looks at multiple sources and publications to make sure he gets the full picture of the story before writing. He tries not to write from a one-sided perspective to allow the reader to be able to make their mind up on their own.

A Texas Longhorns fan, as well as a massive New York Giants fan, some of his favorite college players of all time are Arch Manning, Tim Tebow and Reggie Bush.

When he is not working, Ben enjoys watching films (especially Godzilla) and spending time with his cat.

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Edited by Victor Ramon Galvez