Patriots Calling Bengals About Superstar Trade

Reports earlier this week detailed the Bengals as being open to listening to trades revolving around the All-Pro edge rusher after a long and extensive offseason of contract talks for the 30-year-old. While Cincinnati has been adamant about not wanting to trade its star defender, talks of an extension have seemingly reached an impasse, with the focus now shifting toward a potential trade being in play.

The Patriots have since taken notice of that shift, now being one of the few names to keep an eye on as a potential suitor.

On paper, New England makes a ton of sense as a trade partner. They could use another edge rusher on their front seven to give Mike Vrabel another piece in the front seven to work with, and in turn, provide a strong boost to one of the league's worst-rated pass rushing units through 2024.

The Patriots also currently hold the most available cap space in the NFL, with $59.7 free in effective cap space, according to OverTheCap. Considering that hole on the defensive line and the money to pay out Hendrickson's aspired new deal, New England stands out as a great fit to send the Bengals star.

And based on EVP Eliot Wolf's latest comments, mentioning that the Patriots would be open to including a first or second round pick in a deal for the right player before the season kicked off, they might just have the right trade package Cincinnati would be looking for, if they were forced to send off their top edge talent.

During his last season with the Bengals, Hendrickson dominated his way to becoming the league's sack leader at 17.5, also logging 46 combined tackles, 19 tackles for loss, and two forced fumbled, which inevitably got him the first All-Pro nod of his career, his fourth Pro Bowl selection, and finished top two in Defensive Player of the Year voting next to Denver Broncos' Pat Surtain II.

It remains to be seen if the Patriots will be the lucky ones to land Hendrickson on the roster at the start of the regular season next month, but the rumors are true; they've at least checked in on the idea of making a blockbuster move happen.