Bengals EDGE Trey Hendrickson will not be franchise-tagged.

03 March 2026

Entering his age-32 season off an injury-riddled 2025 campaign, Hendrickson figures to be one of the top free agents on the board on the strength of his 2024 season where he finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting and led the league with 17.5 sacks. He’ll likely have a shorter deal ala Danielle Hunter, but should be a real threat to make over $20MM a season. It signals the end of a contentious process where the Bengals and Hendrickson could not agree on his value for multiple offseasons, as both sides finally get a fresh start.