After months of hoping that Cincinnati Bengals star pass-rusher Trey Hendrickson would finally become available via trade, it seems edge-hungry teams like the Green Bay Packers are finally in luck. According to a report from NFL insider Ian Rapoport, the Bengals are entertaining trade offers from teams around the league to move Hendrickson.
The saga between the Bengals and Hendrickson has been well documented as teams have waited for the 30-year-old to hit the trading block. Despite posting back-to-back 17.5-sack seasons, a mark good enough to lead the NFL last year, the two sides have failed to come together on a new contract.
Now the Packers and teams around the league will have to scramble to come up with the right trade package to potentially land his services - and the responsibility to give him the contract he deserves.
Packers' potential trade package could push Bengals toward a deal
According to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, the Bengals are looking for an “impact” player and a pick to complete the trade. With the Packers being one of the more desperate teams in need of a pass-rusher, it certainly seems likely that general manager Brian Gutekunst might be willing to craft the perfect package to get his answer on the defensive edge.
The Packers have a surplus at wide receiver to bargain with in most situations, but the Bengals wouldn’t be too interested, with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins locked into long-term contracts. Of course, Cincinnati’s defensive struggles are well-documented, but the Packers lack the confidence in their depth to give up younger defenders to land Hendrickson, so their best course of action is to send seventh-year vet Rashan Gary to Cincy to land the star pass-rusher.
Gary is 27 and has 39 career sacks. He’s not quite the elite pass-rusher that Hendrickson is, but he’s still a great substitute on the edge of the defensive front for Cincinnati to lean on. Plus, he brings some veteran expertise to a defense that needs leadership it can count on, especially with disgruntled rookie Shemar Stewart manning the other side.
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The Packers only have their standard picks in the 2026 draft for now, so giving up the second-round selection would sting a bit. But it’s a sacrifice the team should be willing to make to land Hendrickson. After all, the team hasn’t fielded a sack artist with 10-plus sacks since Za’Darius Smith in 2020.
Not only does Hendrickson bring a fierce presence in opposing backfields for Green Bay, but he’d also instantly be the oldest non-specialist on the roster.
With a veteran hungry for team success and to prove his (eventual) past organization wrong, the Packers would be reaping the benefits of this trade on multiple fronts, which makes the pain of losing a defensive cornerstone like Gary and the future draft choice much more bearable.