While the Jacksonville Jaguars are coming close to rounding out their coaching staff, other NFL teams are already in full offseason mode. For instance, the Cincinnati Bengals face a critical decision with star pass rusher Trey Hendrickson, who's made it clear who wants to either get a new deal or be traded to a team that's going to value his services. This will be a fluid situation, but the Jags should waste no time giving them a call and inquire about the four-time Pro Bowl nod.
Hendrickson made an appearance on the Pat McAfee show and said he wants to see Cincy win the Super Bowl, and if his departure can help them achieve the goal, he's fine with it.
"If it's something we can agree on in terms, that would be great. Ideally, my wife and I would love to stay in Cincinnati," Hendrickson on the show via ESPN. "If it's something that helps the Bengals win the Super Bowl, if they get picks or anything like that, I want to help win a Super Bowl for Cincinnati, whether I'm there or not."
For his part, Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin told Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer that he would like to get a deal done with Hendricks but points out that they cannot pay a premium for every player on the roster.
Hendrickson caught wind of Tobin's comments, and let it be known that he wasn't pleased to hear about them from a tweet his dad sent him rather than from the Bengals executive himself.
It's fair to say that things can get ugly between Hendrickson and Tobin if their line of communication doesn't improve. But if it comes down to the worst, the Jaguars can take him off Cincy's hands.
The Jaguars acquire Trey Hendrickson from the Bengals with this trade proposal
All things considered, it's easy to see why Trey Hendrickson wants a new deal. He's set to make $15.8 million in 2025, which isn't chump change, but he's severely underpaid when you take into account that he's coming off a 17.5-sack season and the top 12 pass rushers in the NFL are making upwards of $20 million. The All-Pro nod would surely want a raise. If the Jaguars were interested in trading him, they would have to meet his salary demands but could pull it off with some cap maneuvering.
The Jags currently have around $37 million in space and would need to get a bit more to fit Hendrickson into their budget. They can make it happen by releasing a handful of players. And once they pave the way for the star pass rusher, the team's brass would need to agree to the compensation with the Bengals to get a deal done.
So what could Jacksonville give in exchange for Hendrickson? It clinched the No. 5 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, but that may be too high a price for him. Instead, the Jaguars can offer their second-round selection, the 37th overall, and a fourth. They have an extra after moving down six spots in the draft last year.
Now, you could make the case that the pass rush isn't a need for the Jaguars with Travon Walker and Josh Hines-Allen in the fold. And you would be right, but Hendrickson could turn their rotation from good to outright dominant.
Would a 2025 second-round pick and a 2025 fourth-round pick be a steep price to pay for Hendrickson, on top of giving him a new deal? You bet, but he would give new defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile a great weapon to work with.
Grade: B+ (because of the cost), what grade would you give to this proposal?