CINCINNATI — Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson is now a free agent.
The Bengals aren't giving Hendrickson the franchise tag, according to a report from ESPN's Adam Schefter. Each NFL team is granted the option to tag one player with an expiring contract, which allows the team to keep them for one more season. Tuesday at 4 p.m. is the deadline for teams to announce if they're tagging a player.
Schefter said the decision means Hendrickson is now an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
Bengals DE Trey Hendrickson is not being tagged and now will become an unrestricted free agent. pic.twitter.com/ZyJn4eN6cj
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 3, 2026
Before the 2026 season, Hendrickson was a holdout and worked with the Bengals to finalize an extension to keep him in Cincinnati. In August, the team gave Hendrickson a $14 million raise for the 2025 season, with plans for him to become a free agent afterward.
Hendrickson was already under contract through the 2025 season, but both he and Bengals owner Mike Brown have stated that he's worth more after a league-leading season.
The 31-year-old defensive end only played seven games during the 2026 season due to a hip injury before he underwent core muscle surgery in December. In those seven games, he only accrued 16 tackles, including four sacks, one pass defended and one forced fumble.
Hendrickson has made the Pro Bowl in each of his first four seasons with Cincinnati before he dealt with injuries, with the First-Team All-Pro collecting 19 tackles and 17.5 sacks in the 2024 season.
Other than Hendrickson, the Bengals will put their faith in Myles Murphy, who was selected in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft. Murphy played a larger role with the team after Hendrickson was injured last season, having six tackles and 5.5 sacks with the Bengals' defense that was ranked near the bottom of the league.
