After a season of contract negotiations and bad feelings between Trey Hendrickson and the Cincinnati Bengals, the franchise might be poised to do it all over again.
The Bengals are keeping all options open with Hendrickson, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. That even means that they could use the franchise tag on him again for a second straight season.
“Our understanding is that the Bengals are still considering using the franchise tag,” Garafolo said. “Now, could it be a tag-and-trade possibility? Perhaps. Sounds like all options are on the table for Hendrickson right now, but it is not a foregone conclusion that his time in Cincinnati is over.”
The Insiders on @NFLGameDay with @TomPelissero, @MikeGarafolo, and @JudyBattista: #Colts plan to open talks for Daniel Jones; #Bengals could franchise tag Trey Hendrickson; #Giants QB Russell Wilson’s future; #Cowboys will tag George Pickens, but could trade him. pic.twitter.com/R5lcNyorZY
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 8, 2026
Hendrickson and the Bengals were involved in a major contract dispute last summer that led to a lot of bad feelings between both sides. He eventually signed a one-year deal after a training camp holdout, only to miss most of the season due to injury.
One would imagine the Bengals would want to avoid another soap opera with Hendrickson. On the other hand, they would not want to lose such a valuable player for nothing. It is easy to envision Hendrickson reacting poorly to another franchise tag, though.
Hendrickson had 17.5 sacks in both 2023 and 2024. He had four last season while limited to seven games.
