Trey Hendrickson is not happy. He wants to get paid what he thinks he deserves to get paid, and he is probably correct. The Cincinnati Bengals edge rusher cannot feel pleased after watching the Pittsburgh Steelers dole out top dollar for T.J. Watt recently. Perhaps the Seattle Seahawks is where Hendrickson should go to get his money.
For many months now, Hendrickson has been attempting to work out an extension with the Bengals, but Cincinnati is notoriously weird when it comes to working out deals, so the negotiation was never going to be easy. The edge rusher is also 30 years old, and he wants a lot of guaranteed money, knowing his time in the NFL will not last forever.
One thing appears certain, though. Trey Hendrickson is leaving Bengals training camp as he recently posted a photo that was picked up by NFL analyst Ian Rapoport and retweeted. The photo has an image of a front-facing vehicle on an interstate with a location ping that reads, "Florida."
Trey Hendrickson should turn his car around and head to the Seattle Seahawks
It would be better if it said, "Seattle, Washington." The Seahawks could use a player who has had back-to-back seasons with 17.5 sacks.
Seattle also has the cap room in future years (and this season, too) to bring Hendrickson in this year and pay him after this season. The Seahawks also have a need at edge rusher.
The group on paper is a solid one with Boye Mafe, Derick Hall, DeMarcus Lawrence, and Uchenna Nwosu. Nwosu, however, had offseason knee surgery and is a possibility to miss a few games at the start of the season. He has also been oft-injured in the last two years, so there is no guarantee once he returns he will stay healthy.
Long-term extension talks between the #Bengals and star Trey Hendrickson broke down over guaranteed money before camp… and Hendrickson has now indicated he left the state.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 22, 2025
He just posted this on Instagram. pic.twitter.com/Le2aKris0t
Mafe is entering the last year of his rookie deal, and there is no guarantee that Seattle will re-sign him next offseason. This is especially true is Mafe has a down year and the team might be ready to move on.
Lawrence is 33 years old, and only played in four games last season with the Dallas Cowboys. A player does not normally get healthier the older they get.
Plus, Hendrickson is a better edge rusher than any that Seattle has. His addition to the team would make a very good defense elite. He would improve the overall scheme.
Seattle would owe Hendrickson $16 million this coming season, but the Seahawks just cleared $8.9 million in cap room by releasing tight end Noah Fant. According to Over the Cap, the team has $34,911,982 in cap space, plenty of room to add Trey Hendrickson.
While keeping the current core four of Nwosu, Mafe, Hall, and Lawrence would be great, giving one of them up, likely Mafe or Hall, would be worth the move. The Bengals would like Mafe, most likely, as he is still on his rookie deal and has a good upside. Couple Mafe with a high-round draft pick in 2026, and the Seattle Seahawks might just be able to land Trey Hendrickson.