Were Bengals ever serious about possibly using the franchise tag on Trey Hendrickson?

Since at least last offseason, the long-term future of pass-rusher Trey Hendrickson has hovered over the Cincinnati Bengals.

It seems that era for the franchise is coming to an end. 

Did Bengals ever seriously consider using the franchise tag on Trey Hendrickson?

NFL insider Dianna Russini of The Athletic shared on Tuesday that the Bengals elected not to retain Hendrickson's rights for 2026 via the franchise tag before the deadline to do so arrived at 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday. 

A previous report suggested that "all options" were on the table for the Bengals regarding Hendrickson's future, including Cincinnati holding onto him via the tag and then attempting to trade him to a different club. However, Russini added that tagging the 31-year-old "was never seriously considered by the team" before Tuesday. 

The StatMuse website shows that Hendrickson recorded more regular-season sacks (35) than any other player from the start of the 2023 campaign through the 2024 season. Nevertheless, he seemingly never came close to receiving the type of multiyear extension he desired last offseason before he agreed to a revised deal that gave him a raise and also kept him in a contract year. 

More recently, Hendrickson played in just seven games during the 2025 campaign before he needed core surgery in December. Tuesday's developments would indicate that he will have a new NFL home by the time training-camp practices get underway. 

What teams could target Trey Hendrickson?

On Monday, it was reported that the Dallas Cowboys, Chicago Bears, Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Rams are among the teams that could consider trading for star pass-rusher Maxx Crosby if he and the Las Vegas Raiders agree that a divorce is best for both parties. Presumably, any of those clubs could target Hendrickson once the "legal tampering" portion of free agency gets underway next Monday. 

Additionally, CBS Sports' Josh Edwards mentioned that the Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers could use some help getting to opposing quarterbacks next fall. 

"I’m expecting Hendrickson to have a strong market based on talking to several teams interested," Russini explained. 

One would think the Bengals won't be one of those interested clubs.