The Baltimore Ravens have signed edge rusher Trey Hendrickson to a four-year, $112 million contract.

This news came a day after the trade for Maxx Crosby from the Las Vegas Raiders was cancelled because Crosby failed his physical. After letting Dre’Mont Jones sign with the New England Patriots, the Ravens had to find someone to improve their pass rush. 

Hendrickson was drafted in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints. He didn’t become a starter until 2020, when he recorded 13.5 sacks. 

The Cincinnati Bengals saw potential in Hendrickson, and signed him to a four-year $60 million contract. He made the Pro Bowl in 2021 after recording 14 sacks and 24 tackles. He helped the Bengals reach the Super Bowl.

In the 2023 offseason, the Bengals signed Hendrickson to a new contract that signed him through 2025. He made the Pro Bowl for the Bengals from 2021 to 2024. 

In 2024, Hendrickson had a career-high 17 sacks. Hendrickson only played seven games in 2025 due to hip surgery. 

Ravens defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver runs a versatile system. He relies on movement in the secondary to put them in the best position, while also confusing the offensive line, making sacks easier. 

Lou Anarumo also ran a versatile system with the Bengals in 2024. He utilizes pre-snap movement but relies on both secondary and pass-rush movement. Despite small differences, the systems are very similar, which should make it easy for Hendrickson to adjust.

Despite signing Hendrickson, the Ravens still have a lot of work to do this offseason. The Ravens lost seven starting-level players in the first two days of free agency. They lost key pieces of their secondary and pass-blocking. They may look to the draft to fill roster holes.

Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson did not report to training camp, continuing to stick to his game plan throughout the offseason until he gets a new contract.

Hendrickson said in May he will not suit up under his current deal, which is set to pay him a $15.8 million base salary in 2025. The Bengals came to the table with several offers for last season’s NFL sack leader, including a new one in the last week, but nothing materialized.

“It has been a long negotiation. Trey Hendrickson is a fine player, he’s a good guy, we want him here,” Bengals owner Mike Brown said Monday. “Dealing with him is sometimes not so easy, and that’s alright, he’s got the right to argue his case. We’ll try to make sense of it from our perspective, and we’ll see. I’m not persuaded that it isn’t going to get done, as far as I’m concerned, the sooner the better.”

Reports that Hendrickson plans to skip the start of training camp apparently came as news to Bengals Director of Player Personnel Duke Tobin, who said this week that the team expects the four-time Pro Bowler to be present.

“He’s an important part of our team,” Tobin said. “He’s under contract, and we expect all our guys under contract to be here. He’s a guy who has been very valuable. He has earned a raise and extension. We’ll see if we can come together on something.”

Hendrickson registered a league-best 17.5 sacks last season, equaling his 2023 numbers as one of the NFL’s top edge rushers. He also accumulated 46 combined tackles, including 33 solo tackles, which were career bests in both categories. Hendrickson has been an impact player and headliner for the Bengals’ defensive efforts since joining Cincinnati in 2021.

The Cincinnati Bengals had one of the most up-and-down seasons, going 9-8 in 2024. The team missed the playoffs for back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2020. Despite missing the playoffs, the Bengals had one of the best offensive seasons in NFL history, with quarterback Joe Burrow leading the NFL in passing yards with 4,918 and 43 passing touchdowns.

All-Pro wide receiver Jamar Chase also had a historical season, becoming the fifth player in NFL history to lead the league in catches, touchdowns and yards as a receiver. While the offense was historic, the defense struggled heavily, ranking 25th in yards allowed per game, with an average of 348.3. The Bengals ended their season on a five-game winning streak but missed the playoffs due to a 4-8 record to start the season.

Cincinnati came into the offseason with huge question marks surrounding key players like Ja’Marr Chase, Trey Hendrickson and Tee Higgins. The team made huge moves, resigning both star wide receivers Chase and Higgins to four-year extensions. Higgins’ extension was worth $115 million, and the Bengals made Chase the highest-paid wide receiver in the league with a $161 million contract. The Bengals also re-signed other key players like defensive tackle BJ Hill, tight end Mike Gesicki and offensive tackle Cody Ford.

The most significant question mark left for the Bengals is whether or not All-Pro defensive end Hendrickson will be traded or get a new contract with the team. Hendrickson led the league with 17.5 sacks last season and is seeking a new contract with the Bengals after requesting a trade during the offseason. His future remains unclear, as there has been a lack of communication between the team and him regarding an extension.

The Bengals also brought in new faces, including middle linebacker and Super Bowl champion Oren Burks, who was a key part of the Eagles’ Super Bowl run from last season as well as former Packer defensive tackle TJ Slaton and running back Samaje Perine, who are returning to the team after two seasons with the Chiefs and Broncos. The only notable loss this offseason was offensive tackle Trent Brown, who only started three games before suffering a torn patellar tendon, which ended his season.

Cincinnati went defense in the first two rounds of the draft to help improve their unit from last season, selecting Texas A&M defensive end Shemar Stewart in the first round and linebacker Demetrius Knight from South Carolina in the second. Both players will need to add to a struggling defense if the Bengals hope to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2022.

With the 14th most demanding schedule, according to Fox Sports, the Bengals will need their defense to step up to return to the playoffs in 2025. The Bengals have been notorious for starting the season slowly over the last few seasons. Still, they will have a relatively easy first three weeks against the Browns, Jaguars and Vikings with an unproven quarterback in JJ McCarthy. The Bengals’ biggest games will come against the Lions in week five, the Packers in week six, and the Bills in week 14.

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Playing in the AFC North is no easy task, as teams must face the Ravens, Steelers and Browns twice throughout the year. If the Bengals hope to get back to the Super Bowl after making it in 2022, it will require another MVP-level season from Burrow and a much-improved defensive season, hopefully with Hendrickson back on the team.

CINCINNATI BENGALS SCHEDULE & TICKET DEALS

• Week 1: Sept. 7 at Cleveland Browns
• Week 2: Sept. 14 against Jacksonville Jaguars
• Week 3: Sept. 21 at Minnesota Vikings
• Week 4: Sept. 29 at Denver Broncos
• Week 5: Oct. 5 against Detroit Lions
• Week 6: Oct. 12 at Green Bay Packers
• Week 7: Oct. 16 against Pittsburgh Steelers
• Week 8: Oct. 26 against New York Jets
• Week 9: Nov. 2 against Chicago Bears
• Week 10: Bye week
• Week 11: Nov. 16 at Pittsburgh Steelers
• Week 12: Nov. 23 against New England Patriots
• Week 13: Nov. 27 at Baltimore Ravens
• Week 14: Dec. 7 at Buffalo Bills
• Week 15: Dec. 14 against Baltimore Ravens
• Week 16: Dec. 21 at Miami Dolphins
• Week 17: against Arizona Cardinals
• Week 18: against Cleveland Browns

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CINCINNATI BENGALS SEASON & GAMES ODDS

The Bengals open the season with +2000 odds of winning the Super Bowl and a +950 to win the AFC North. They also open up the season with -140 odds to win their first game vs the Cleveland Browns and are favored in 10 of their games to start the season. The Bengals will be favorites to make the playoffs after missing them last season after a disappointing end to the season last year.

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Since star quarterback Joe Burrow‘s sophomore season in the NFL, the Cincinnati Bengals have been preseason contenders each year – including, of course, a Super Bowl run in 2022.

Although Burrow receives the most attention, other players have been fundamental in elevating a Bengals squad that too often has had offensive-line and defensive deficiencies. A Bengals squad, notably, that is backed up by a stingy pocketbook; they have the least amount of money earmarked for non-quarterback players in the entire league.

Now, following a disappointing season where Cincinnati barely missed the playoffs despite a late-season revival, three important players are in need of a deal.

Ja’Marr Chase, who claimed the triple crown after leading the NFL in receptions, yards and touchdowns in the 2024 season, was the Bengals’ first-round pick in 2021. He’ll likely receive the richest deal ever for a wide receiver – possibly by a wide margin. Chase’s signing is not an if but a when.

More controversially, wide receiver Tee Higgins is up for a new deal for the second time in two years after the Bengals franchise tagged him last year. Higgins will hit free agency on March 12.

The Bengals are reportedly looking to sign Higgins long-term, which may be difficult with the batch of deals they’re tasked with constructing this year. Sources say they’re likely to opt for a second franchise tag if the sides aren’t able to reach a deal by March 4, the tag deadline, which would allow an additional four months to work on one. If a deal isn’t signed by July 12, Higgins would play on a salary of $26.17 million in 2025.

Finally, despite the failures of the Cincinnati defense this past season, there was one significant bright spot that nevertheless flew under the radar. His name is Trey Hendrickson, and he was named first-team All-Pro at defensive end for the 2024 season, recording a league-high 17.5 sacks and concluding as the runner-up Defensive Player of the Year.

Hendrickson has played out a four-year, $60 million contract with the Bengals that started in 2021, but the team is reportedly anxious to keep him as the cornerstone of their defense.

Burrow, meanwhile, has been clear on his wish to keep his teammates, up to and including restructuring his own contract.

“You could convert some of the money to a signing bonus, which will lower the cap hit,” Burrow said. “You can push some of the money to the back end of the contract. That lowers the cap hit. And then when you get to the back end of the contract, you can restructure it and convert it to a signing bonus. You can also just take less money.”

Burrow signed his own extension last offseason, at a whopping five years and $275 million. It’s no surprise the Bengals are looking to win with him – and soon.