How teams reportedly viewed Bengals' Trey Hendrickson ahead of trade deadline

Cincinnati Bengals pass-rusher Trey Hendrickson was linked with numerous teams in October but remained with the Bengals through Tuesday's trade deadline. 

In his post-trade-deadline mailbag, NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated explained why Hendrickson remains with the 3-6 Bengals. 

Were pass-rush-needy teams not interested in Trey Hendrickson?

"The Bengals didn’t get a ton of interest in him, so talks really never progressed to the point where there were hard offers on the table," Breer wrote about Hendrickson. "Why? He’s banged up, 31 years old (in December), has four sacks in seven games, and his contract is up after this season. Over the summer, the asking price was a second-round pick and a defensive starter (I heard, in the case of Indianapolis, it was defensive tackle Grover Stewart the Bengals asked for). Cincinnati wasn’t going to move off that spot much, and all of the above diminished any shot the Bengals had of getting that kind of return for their star rusher."

The Dallas Cowboys were among the rumored potential landing spots for Hendrickson. Dallas instead acquired defensive tackle Quinnen Williams from the New York Jets in exchange for a 2026 second-round draft pick, a 2027 first-rounder and defensive tackle Mazi Smith. 

Some also speculated that the New England Patriots could make a move to grab Hendrickson. However, the Patriots ultimately stood pat at the deadline. 

"They seem to be accepting that, despite its fantastic record, this team isn’t so good that it’s one or two small deals from reaching the Super Bowl," Patriots reporter Chad Graff of The Athletic wrote about the club's inactivity. "At the very least, the Patriots seem to realize they’re ahead of schedule in what was supposed to be another rebuilding year."

Why Bengals were fine with holding onto Trey Hendrickson

Previous reports indicated that the Bengals didn't sell Hendrickson at a discount because Cincinnati wasn't in a hurry to give up on the rest of the season. Breer echoed that point. 

"I don’t think they view themselves as dead yet, and taking a chunk out of a struggling defense would’ve been a problem for the team," Breer added about the Bengals. "Listening to what came from that locker room after the Bears debacle, it seems like things are teetering. Giving up on the season could’ve pushed things over the edge."

The Bengals will now finish their bye week before starting preparations to face division-rival Pittsburgh Steelers (5-3) on Nov. 16. Cincinnati defeated Pittsburgh in Week 7.