Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson (91) celebrates as time winds down in the fourth quarter of the NFL Week 1 game between the Cleveland Browns and the Cincinnati Bengals at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland on Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025. The Bengals begin the season with a 17-16 win over the Browns. Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Saints Must Pounce on Projected Trey Hendrickson Contract

Originally posted on New Orleans Saints on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Jan 30, 2026 12:12 PM ET

The New Orleans Saints are in a significantly better position right now than they were a year ago.

At this point last offseason, the Saints' salary cap position was a mess and the team was coming off a last-place finish in the NFC South after going 5-12 in 2024. Also, the long-term quarterback outlook for the team was tricky, to say the least.

If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.

A year later, the Saints are coming off a last-place finish again, but went 6-11 after turning things around in the second half of the 2025 campaign. More importantly, the Saints appear to have a long-term answer at quarterback in Tyler Shough. He made just nine starts in 2025 and went 5-4, but the vibes are high around the league. New Orleans has quickly gone from an afterthought to a team that elite draft prospects actively want to come to. Also, the salary cap position isn't as bad as last year. The Saints are projected to be just over $21 million over the cap. They'll have to sort that out before the new league year, but that's way better than last year. They'll be able to restructure deals to get it in order. Plus, there isn't a lot of long-term money on the books. Right now, the Saints are projected to have over $134 million in cap space for 2027, per Over The Cap.

The Saints should get aggressive

Imagine the Saints with legit cap space? A scary thought for the rest of the league. New Orleans already is aggressive without it. The time is now for the Saints to add to maximize the roster with Shough on a rookie deal. One player to target should be old friend Trey Hendrickson. He spent the first four seasons of his career in New Orleans and Pro Football Focus is projecting him to land a one-year deal in free agency worth $21 million.

"No. 1. ED Trey Hendrickson, Cincinnati Bengals," PFF Wrote. "Snaps: 1,850 | PFF grade: 90.1. Hendrickson battled injuries throughout the 2025 season but still ranked sixth among all edge defenders in PFF pass-rush grade (90.0). He has now posted five consecutive PFF pass-rush grades above 85.0 and generated 23 total pressures on 177 pass-rush snaps this year. Contract projection: One year, $21,000,000 | $17,000,000 guaranteed. Contract comp: Robert Quinn (2020)."

That would be a steal. When Hendrickson is healthy, he's among the best overall players in the league overall. He was a first-team All-Pro in 2024 and had 17 1/2 sacks. The 2025 season was a mess with contract drama, and he only was able to play in seven games due to injury.

This is the type of move the Saints should be all over this offseason. Think of how the Saints' defense played in the second half of the season. Imagine if the team had Hendrickson at the edge along with Chase Young and hopefully Cameron Jordan and Demario Davis? Scary thought for opposing offenses.

More NFL: Taysom Hill Update Straight From Saints GM Mickey Loomis

This article first appeared on New Orleans Saints on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: