The Trey Hendrickson saga took another turn in Cincinnati, with the star pass rusher showing up to OTAs and letting the world know that he will not play on his current contract.
Hendrickson wouldn’t say the damage done is irreparable; however, he was direct in his frustration with the lack of communication between the two sides since the NFL Draft, citing on several occasions that it has gotten personal.
“A little bit transpired between me and Zac,” he said, via Paul Denher Jr. of The Athletic. “We’ve tried to keep it as least amount as personal as possible, but at some point in this process, it’s become personal. Being sent 30 days before mandatory camp, or how many ever days it is, that if I don’t show up, I will be fined, alludes to the fact that something won’t get done in that time frame.
“With the lack of communication post-draft made it imminently clear to my party — meaning my wife, my son and my agent, a small group of people — that I had (to) inform that this might not work out. I don’t think it was necessary. I think we should have all hoped for the best until proven otherwise.”
Trey Hendrickson is entering the final year of his contract, which carries a base salary of $15.8 million. He’s watched the Bengals make Ja’Marr Chase the highest paid receiver in football and also ink a long-term contract with wide receiver Tee Higgins. There was a belief around that time that an eventual deal would get done with Hendrickson, but it now feels as if the two sides could not be further apart.
This is a situation the Falcons should be monitoring closely. There are a multitude of hurdles Terry Fontenot would have to consider, draft compensation being first and foremost. With the Falcons already without their first-round pick in 2026, they would be short-handed in negotiations. Atlanta would also have to be willing to make Trey Hendrickson one of the highest-paid defensive players in football.
However, Hendrickson would give Atlanta their first legitimate pass rusher since John Abraham was around nearly 15 years ago. The 30-year-old has amassed a remarkable 35 sacks over the last two seasons, and the Falcons should have no problem fitting him on their cap sheet when Kirk Cousins’ cap hit becomes much easier to swallow in 2026. There are also ties to Terry Fontenot, who was in the New Orleans front office when the Saints drafted Hendrickson in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft.
The additions of Jalon Walker and James Pearce in the first round of this year’s draft are exciting, but adding a true sack artist alongside them would really give the Falcons a formidable pass rush for the first time in decades.
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Photo: Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire
