CINCINNATI — The Bengals didn’t use the franchise tag on defensive finish Trey Hendrickson forward of Tuesday’s 4 p.m. deadline, making the previous All-Professional edge rusher accessible to signal with one other crew when free company opens subsequent week.
Hendrickson posted a goodbye to Cincinnati after Tuesday’s deadline handed, thanking the crew, its coaches and followers.
“To the group: Thanks for the chance to play the sport I like on the highest degree,” he wrote “The final 5 years have been stuffed with nice wins and difficult losses. Private achievements and humbling adversities.
“I used to be and all the time will likely be proud to have worn the Cincinnati Bengals brand and honor the historical past behind it.”
As of final week, the Bengals had not dominated out the opportunity of putting the franchise tag on Hendrickson in an effort to probably purchase draft capital for the 31-year-old go rusher. Nonetheless, on the NFL scouting mix in Indianapolis final week, Bengals director of participant personnel Duke Tobin famous that tagging a participant and buying and selling him to a different crew just isn’t easy.
“All trades are troublesome,” Tobin instructed native reporters Feb. 24. “It’s a must to discover a companion. you must have cooperation together with your gamers. Trades may be sophisticated.”
Had the Bengals positioned the franchise tag on Hendrickson and he signed it earlier than it was rescinded, it might have price the crew $30.2 million towards subsequent season’s cap.
Dealing Hendrickson has confirmed troublesome for Cincinnati.
Final offseason, the Bengals made the weird request of granting Hendrickson the flexibility to see what the crew may achieve in a possible commerce as he approached the top of his contract. On the time, Hendrickson was coming off an All-Professional season after he led the NFL with 17.5 sacks. Nonetheless, a deal by no means materialized.
Hendrickson skipped the entire crew’s offseason exercises and held out initially of coaching camp. Finally, the Bengals ended the stalemate by elevating his wage to $29 million. Cincinnati incurs a $6.5 million cost of lifeless cash towards the wage cap due to final season’s increase.
An damage then prohibited Hendrickson from matching his earlier manufacturing. He performed in simply seven video games and was positioned on injured reserve in December following the choice to restore a core muscle damage that he picked up later within the season after which aggravated.
The Bengals’ choice to not use the tag on Hendrickson spells the top of the tenure of certainly one of crew’s greatest free agent signings. In 2021, the edges agreed to a four-year, $60 million deal. Over time, Hendrickson turned one of many league’s most efficient edge rushers, making the Professional Bowl in every of his first 4 seasons with the crew. Since 2021, he ranks second within the NFL in stress charge (13.2%), fourth in whole sacks (61) and fourth in sacks that end in fumbles (11), per ESPN Analysis.
Final season, the Bengals have been 6-11 after a midseason swoon following an damage to star quarterback Joe Burrow. On the mix, Tobin was requested why the crew did not determine to commerce Hendrickson earlier than the deadline.
“The alternatives aren’t all the time there,” he mentioned. “While you’re speaking trades, there are a whole lot of components. The participant’s well being, age, contract, the present manufacturing.
“When you’re within the swing of the season and you’ve got an opportunity, and the man helps you could have that probability, you are seeking to preserve the possibility alive.”
