Trey Hendrickson cannot be feeling overly excited about being a part of the Cincinnati Bengals. The edge rusher has had back-to-back 17.5 sack seasons, but he has watched as his team has given massive extensions to wide receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, but Cincy hasn't done the same for Hendrickson.
In a recent appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, ESPN NFL reporter Adam Schefter said the edge rusher and his people have been in talks with the Bengals recently. Still, the two sides remain far apart in working out an extension. Hendrickson is set to be a free agent after 2025.
The Seattle Seahawks could certainly use someone of Hendrickson's ilk. While Seattle has quite a few edge rushers, such as Boye Mafe, Derick Hall, Uchenna Nwosu, and DeMarcus Lawrence, a team cannot have too many options at the position.
The Seattle Seahawks should rescue Trey Hendrickson from his Cincinnati Bengals mess
Having a rotation of those types of players only allows the others to remain fresh during a game. Head coach Mike Macdonald and his defense could be more effective in fourth quarters, when the game is on the line quite often, than in first quarters.
Adding Hendrickson to the group above would take the Seahawks defense from good to elite. Plus, Seattle has the cap room still to acquire Hendrickson and fit him under the cap. The edge rusher's cap hit in 2025 is $18,666,668, and including per-game bonuses, Seattle would have a cash payout for Hendrickson of about $19 million.
The Seahawks currently have approximately $30 million in cap room. In other words, plenty of space to try to work a trade with the Bengals.
"The Bengals & Trey Hendrickson are talking again but they're not any further along..
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) June 18, 2025
I think there's a disagreement over value & there's also a disagreement over the length of the deal..
They can't even find common ground on the length of the deal" ~ @AdamSchefter #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/JGiDciRqnj
What would it take, though, to get Hendrickson, assuming the Bengals are interested in moving him? Perhaps a first-round pick in 2026 along with another selection. While he will turn 31 years old in December, the edge rusher has stayed healthy for most of his career. In the last five seasons, he has missed just three games.
That is important because if the Seahawks trade for Hendrickson, the assumption is that Seattle would then sign him to an extension. Perhaps for two years through the 2027 season. The Seahawks have the money to do so and have to assume Hendrickson will continue to remain healthy.
Seattle is trying to do the opposite of what Cincinnati is doing, it appears. The Bengals want to win with a great offense, while Seattle wants to dominate games defensively. Making a move to add Hendrickson and rescue him from the Bengals would only enhance Seattle's cause.