Report: Notable AFC team has inquired about Trey Hendrickson trade

As Salguero noted, Patriots general manager Eliot Wolf said earlier on Monday that he would be willing to trade either or a first- or second-round draft pick for a player that he felt could help New England this season. That invited speculation that the Pats are a suitor for Hendrickson or one of the other star players who are currently in contract disputes with their respective teams.

New England has also been viewed as a possible landing spot for Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin, who recently requested a trade.

The Patriots have nearly $60M in salary cap space, according to the latest figures from Spotrac. That is more than any other team in the NFL. If they were willing to give up the draft capital needed to acquire a player like Hendrickson, they could easily afford to hand out a lucrative contract extension.

Hendrickson had 35 sacks over the past two seasons, which was the most in the NFL during that span. He had 17.5 sacks each season and finished second in NFL Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2024.

Hendrickson is set to make roughly $16M in base salary this season. He and the Bengals have been far apart in contract negotiations, and the team may have made one major mistake with the handling of the situation.