The Chicago Bears did an admirable job addressing their roster needs this offseason. Through a mix of trades, free agency, and the draft, they feel like a team that upgraded at some important spots. That is especially true on offense, where they found three new starters for the offensive line and two highly talented playmakers: Colston Loveland and Luther Burden. Still, many fear one area is too much of a question mark. That is the pass rush. Dayo Odeyingbo and Grady Jarrett should help, but neither comes across as a true sack specialist. This is why many still wonder if the Bears could make a late play for Trey Hendrickson.
He is everything the team needs, having led the NFL with 17.5 sacks last season. Though in his 30s, there is no reason to think he’s in danger of declining. Not only that, but he also has ties to defensive coordinator Dennis Allen from their time together in New Orleans. The problem is the price tag. Nobody knows what it would cost to get him. ESPN finally provided some clarity on that in a recent column.
Jeremy Fowler’s offer:
Bengals get: 2026 second-round pick, 2027 fifth-round pick
Colts get: Hendrickson
Dan Graziano’s offer:
Bengals get: 2026 second-round pick
Bills get: Hendrickson
Ben Solak’s offer:
Bengals get: 2026 second-round pick, 2027 fourth-round pick (can become a third-rounder with performance conditions)
Lions get: Hendrickson, 2026 fifth-round pick
Trey Hendrickson will likely require a 2nd round pick.
That and a significant contract extension, which is the reason he’s holding out in the first place. Are the Bears prepared to pay that price tag? GM Ryan Poles has already shown a willingness to swing trades like this. He sent a 2nd round pick to Washington for Montez Sweat in 2023 before handing him a lucrative extension. The key difference is that Sweat was a few years younger and didn’t cost as much money annually. Trading for Trey Hendrickson would be a clear signal from the Bears that they feel they’re one piece away from a deep playoff run. There is no doubt a Sweat-Hendrickson combo would be hard to contain. The issue would be how expensive it’d be and how long they can stay productive.
Nope. I could see sniffing at Za’Darious Smith for one year maybe till we draft our new DE. No 3 year deal for Hendrickson no matter how good he HAS BEEN.
I don’t see the Bears throwing big money out anymore. I think they build through the draft.
Apparently the Bengals offered him $28M for next season and he declined it wanting more money and more years. It’s been said that he wants a 3 year contract averaging $35M/year which is what Maxx Crosby got. While I would love to have Hendrickson in the team, I can’t justify that type of contract for him at the age he’s at. The Bears would need to restructure a few contracts fitting him on the roster which means future dead cap. Poles finally got the dead cap to 0 after Ryan Pace racked it up for several years. There will be… Read more »
I’m looking forward to the 2026 and 2027 NFL Drafts to be Superbowl conscious. It might take two more drafts to cleanse the Bears of Poles’ mediocre talent and dead weight players. Just keep the Re-Rebuild going. Perhaps by that time the new stadium will be built. If not, the Bears can play their home games in London and St. Louis.
The Bills are last in the league in cap space, IIRC. Gesicki is the Bengals starting TE, and I’d try to work Kmet into the trade, or Stevenson, Braxton, Brisker…
34sweetness, in an ideal world with good team health, we could peak in the playoffs and win a few games, especially adding fangs to our pass rush. Sure, we would need a lot to fall our way, but we could catch lightning in a bottle, and contenders could have injuries wreck their seasons.