3 best trade destinations for disgruntled Bengals star Trey Hendrickson

Barring a drastic, overnight change of mind, it's difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel for Trey Hendrickson and the Cincinnati Bengals. 

The star pass-rusher, who has totaled 17.5 sacks in each of the past two seasons, requested a trade in March and isn't taking part in the Bengals' offseason program. Meanwhile, the Bengals signed wide receivers Ja'Marr Chase (four-year, $161 million deal) and Tee Higgins (four-year, $115 million deal) and tight end Mike Gesicki (three-year, $25 million deal) to new deals. They also drafted Texas A&M defensive end Shemar Stewart with the No. 17 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Hendrickson, who ranked fifth among edge defenders with a 90.4 pass-rush grade and eighth with an 88.1 overall grade last season, according to Pro Football Focus, is one of the elite defensive ends in the NFL and can help transform any defense from the jump.

With that in mind, here are the three best trade destinations for Hendrickson, who's set to hit the open market after the 2025 season.

Trey Hendrickson requested a trade in March. (Photo by Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The Colts are in no man's land. They've won eight-plus games in back-to-back seasons but also missed the playoffs in each of the last four. An area that could still use improvement? Their pass rush. 

Last season, the Colts totaled 36 sacks, which was tied for 25th in the NFL. That's where Hendrickson enters the chat. The star defensive end has posted double-digit sacks in four of the past five years. He'd join a defensive end group that includes Kwity Paye, who has blossomed into a reliable starter, 2024 first-rounder Laiatu Latu and 2025 second-rounder JT Tuimoloau. While the Colts have depth off the edge, Hendrickson