There is little doubt that the Seattle Seahawks are trying to reshape their team into the image of head coach Mike Macdonald. There is zero wrong with this, too. Macdonald's defense in his first season as coach got better as the season grew old. If Seattle is going to sniff a deep run in the playoffs, it is because the defense is great.
This offseason, general manager John Schneider has not been afraid to let players such as quarterback Geno Smith, wide receiver DK Metcalf, and wide receiver Tyler Lockett go, but the defense comes back intact. Seattle re-signed linebacker Ernest Jones IV and defensive tackle Jarran Reed, and the team added former Dallas Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence.
Offense can win a lot of games, but defense wins championships. If the Seahawks' offseason moves prove anything, it proves Schneider believes that last bit. He should. He has seen that work for Seattle, though it was ten years ago.
Seattle Seahawks should reach out to the Cincinnati Bengals to see if Trey Hendrickson is available
This could also imply that Schneider is open to any opportunities to add even more talent to the defense, and this is especially true as Seattle still has money to spend both now and into the future. The Cincinnati Bengals might not have that same luxury, especially after there have been reports that the Bengals want to extend wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase at a number of at least $40 million per season.
Cincinnati also wants to extend receiver Tee Higgins. That is likely to cost around $30 million a year. Plus, Cincinnati is already paying quarterback Joe Burrow a boatload of money, so eventually, the Bengals are going to have to make some tough financial decisions about productive but expensive players under contract.
One of those players could be defensive end Trey Hendrickson. The 30-year-old defensive end is only signed through 2025 and has a relatively low cap hit for a player of his stature of $18,666,668, and the Bengals, clearly bent on winning with their offense, would save $16 million by trading Hendrickson.
The expectation around the league is that Ja’Marr Chase’s new deal, if and when it gets done, will average somewhere in the range of $40.1 million to $41 million per year, topping Myles Garrett and making him the highest-paid non-QB in the NFL, as the Bengals said he would be. https://t.co/3PhjadwS8o
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 14, 2025
The Seahawks should make an offer. Seattle can certainly fit Hendrickson (who has had two straight seasons of 17.5 sacks) into their cap situation, and just imagine what a defensive front that features Hendrickson, Leonard Williams, DeMarcus Lawrence, and Reed would be like. Oh, and add Byron Murphy II to the mix as well.
Seattle also has two second-round choices in the 2025 NFL draft. Aside from trading its first-round choice for Hendrickson, would Cincinnati be willing to take one of the Seahawks' second-round picks and one of their two third-round choices for the All-Pro defensive end? Or maybe just one second-round choice. John Schneider should ask.
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