The Cincinnati Bengals have backed off the idea of a Trey Hendrickson trade for obvious reasons.
But that won't stop the ideas before the NFL draft from flowing.
Over at ESPN, Bill Barnwell issued a mock draft that features every team getting involved in at least one trade. Of the moves for the Bengals listed there, the one that sticks out the most is the Bengals shipping Hendrickson to the Detroit Lions alongside a second-round pick and getting back the 28th pick in the draft and a fourth-round selection:
"Bengals fans won't want to see Hendrickson leave, but he is reportedly willing to sit out games in 2025 without a new deal, and they won't want to see a repeat of the Carson Palmer situation. This would value Hendrickson as a second-round pick, albeit one of the very last selections (61st pick). De facto general manager Duke Tobin would have two first-round picks to add defensive help, with Cincinnati jumping ahead of the Commanders and Eagles for edge-rushing options."
The Bengals getting a late first-round pick back in a Hendrickson deal was always the maximum expected return, should the very unlikely idea happen.
The obvious reasons a deal won't happen plays into the muted return value for the NFL's sack leader, though. While the Bengals granted Hendrickson permission to seek a trade, the return they want back, plus the pass-rusher's age and contract wants, greatly limited the chances of a deal actually happening.
Unless Hendrickson is deadly serious about sitting out at the age of 30, the Bengals appear to have all the leverage.
This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Bengals mock draft trade ships away Trey Hendrickson to Lions
