Should the Packers Try to Acquire Bengals DE Trey Hendrickson?
By GilMartin
The Green Bay Packers need to get more pressure on opposing quarterbacks from their defensive line in 2025. Last season, defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley had to blitz a lot more than he wanted to when the front four failed to supply enough pressure. No defensive lineman had more than Rashan Gary’s 7.5 sacks.
Earlier this week, the Cincinnati Bengals announced that defensive lineman Trey Hendrickson wanted to be traded. Hendrickson led the NFL with 17.5 sacks last season, the second consecutive season he reached that milestone. In addition to the sacks, Pro Football Focus credited Hendrickson with 49 hurries and 16 quarterback hits. He gets consistent pressure on opposing quarterbacks.
Cincinnati’s front office reportedly gave the Pro Bowl defensive lineman permission to seek a trade. NFL.com indicated the Packers were one of eight teams who would be potential landing spots for Henrickson. Other teams on the list include NFC North rivals, the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions.
Hendrickson would certainly beef up the Packers front four. The 6’4”, 270-pound Florida Atlantic alum has one year remaining on his current deal and is seeking a new contract. His cap hit for 2025 is presently $18.66 million according to overthecap.com.
The expected cost of trading for Hendrickson is expected to be a second or third round draft choice. However, Packers GM Brian Gutekunst would likely only make the deal if the Packers were able to sign him to an extension.
It would be an added bonus that the Packers would not likely have to part with their first-round draft choice this year when they are hosting the NFL Draft for the first time ever.
The chance to add an elite pass rusher at such a reasonable price doesn’t come along too often. The Packers certainly have the cap space to sign Hendrickson. They can also create more cap space by restructuring the roster and workout bonuses of several players and converting them to signing bonuses, so cap space isn’t an issue.
Hendrickson grades out as an elite NFL defensive end. He is among the best in the league at rushing the passer and has a good run defense grade as well.
Shortly after the Packers playoff loss to the Eagles in January, Gutekunst indicated the Packers had to change their approach a bit this offseason.
“The thing that's been on my mind as we've concluded this season is we need to continue to ramp up our sense of urgency,” Gutekunst told reporters. “These opportunities don't come [very often]. The life of a player in the National Football League is not very long. We've got a bunch of good guys in that locker room, got a bunch of talented guys in that locker room, and yeah, I think it's time that we start competing for championships, right?”
Adding a player like Hendrickson would certainly fit the description of ramping up the urgency. He would be a player who could make an immediate impact to the pass rush and allow Hafley to do what he wanted to do originally with his defense which was to get pressure by rushing the front four and not having to blitz very often.
The addition of an elite pass rushing defensive end would also help players like Gary, Brenton Cox, Kingsley Enagbare, and Lukas Van Ness as Hendrickson would face a lot of double teams and get a lot of attention from opposing coaches and offensive linemen.
It would also alter the team’s top needs heading into the 2025 NFL Draft. If the Packers sign Hendrickson, they could concentrate on adding players at other positions of need like cornerback, offensive line, or receiver.
The opportunity may be there to add a real impact player on the defensive side of the ball. Now let’s see if Gutekunst can make a deal and make this happen.
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Comments (48)
LLCHESTY
March 08, 2025 at 09:39 am
I'd settle for Harold Landry for a third of the contract Hendrickson would sign and also add a WR and CB.
jannesbjornson
March 08, 2025 at 10:26 am
He profiles as an Edge. Can he go elephant/DE with his hand in the ground? He is more productive than what Packertown put on the field last season.
LLCHESTY
March 08, 2025 at 07:57 pm
Your question confuses me, all the current DEs are Edges.
Brewcity_BearsFan
March 09, 2025 at 06:26 pm
Landry signed with the Patriots
mnbadger
March 08, 2025 at 09:42 am
Nice written follow up to yesterday's detailed review at pack-a-day podcast.
I'd love this move and trust Gutey and his team to make trade and salary compensation sense.
We need to stick our necks out.
4 down player, healthy, experienced but still young.
Plays to the whistle on every down.
If we don't pull this one off, we better get KMack!
GPG!
SicSemperTyrannis
March 08, 2025 at 07:56 pm
We're fortunate that there are several excellent pass rushers available in FA, as well as in the draft. 1 of each seems a bare minimum? If D line is "deep" in the draft, maybe Gutey can pick another later round gem and do what GB never does, which is pick a first round WR? CB there would be fine, too.
What about #45 Eric Wilson, are they re-signing him? It's hard to have too many LBs, they tend to get hurt. "Impossible to have too many good pass rushers" is something I've read from many greats.
Leatherhead
March 08, 2025 at 09:53 am
Gary, VanNess, Enagbare, Brooks. Who plays less if we bring another DE in? Gary plays about 60% of our snaps and everybody else plays less than 50%. Who sits inactive on gameday? Or do we activate 5 DEs?
crayzpackfan
March 08, 2025 at 10:21 am
Maybe we just don't have this strict platoon like we have now. Put the best guy we have and bookend him with Hendrickson. Leave them in 80% of the game. We sub too much as it is. A guy gets hot and look, here comes the other guy cuz the coach says so and things cool down. Paying someone top dollar to play 50% of the time make zero sense to me. It's that very reason JA needs to go. Why would you purposely make your best players unavailable for the sake of platooning? Get some studs in here and play the SOB's and only sub for down and distance packages or to give a guy a quick blow here and there.
Leatherhead
March 08, 2025 at 10:50 am
OK, so we play Gary and Hendrickson in to play 80% of the snaps, until they get hurt or wear down. That's not a better idea than keeping them fresh over a 17 gameseason And you're still going to have backups....in this case, VanNess and Enagbare, who'd only be playing 20% of the snaps. They're still suited up,they're still getting paid, they're still decent players.....they're just not playing.
I think if you do a little research on this, you'll see that across the league, very few DL are playing much more than 60% of the snaps. Hendrickson has played between 65%-73% of his team's snaps. In the playoffs, he played fewer snaps.
I like the 60/40 split. It keeps people healthy and fresh. It's a luxury of having a deep roster.
When the playoffs start, I don't have any problem with playing our starters more. But you've got to get through that 17 game season first.
crayzpackfan
March 08, 2025 at 11:14 am
I agree with the keeping people fresh part. But still think removing a player who is having a highly productive game just to keep a rotation in sync is sorta dumb. I could get behind a 70-30 split. Otherwise, if you're gonna go 50% or less, then don't hire expensive players. I don't go to a car lot and pay full price for half the car.
Leatherhead
March 08, 2025 at 12:52 pm
Ideally....you don't ever have anybody miss any time with injury. Last year, Wyatt missed time, so others had to adjust to make up for that.
Gary plays 60%. Our other DEs are all on rookie contracts. McKinney played every snap, Nixon played 94% of our snaps. Bullard was over 72%. Nobody else on defense reached 70%.
If you look at our Top 16 defenders, based on their time on the field, every one of them is over 39% of the snaps, and that doesn't include the injured Alexander or Wyatt, or the traded PSmith. Those were our Top 19 defenders last year.. This notion of "you're a backup and don't have to be able to play" does not apply, the way it apparently does on the offensive line. If you're dressed on defense, you're going to play, and not just special teams.
On offense, it's different. Our QB and our 5 OL are on the field most every snap. After that, it's Jayden Reed at 63% of the snaps, then Doubs, Wicks, and Watson all between 50-60%. ONLY 12 GUYS played at least 25% of our snaps. That seems to fit the split you'd prefer. On offense, I get that, but I think that on defense it's different. Go out there, find a 310lb guy, and start pushing him around. See how long before you'd like a breather.
You'd have to give me an example of taking a guy out who is red hot just to keep a rotation in sync. I'm sure it has probably happened but I don't think it happens very often. I think that if you have a good plan, and you stick to that plan, you'll be more successful than changing course on impulse.
GregC
March 08, 2025 at 10:51 am
Platooning keeps players fresh. It's one reason our defense was playing its best football at the end of the season. Also, there is not a ton of difference between our DEs and DTs right now. None of them are great, but several of them are pretty good. So platooning is a good fit for our personnel right now. A player like Hendrickson might get more snaps than the others, but I think Hafley would still stick with a heavy rotation.
Leatherhead
March 08, 2025 at 01:12 pm
Yes. It does pay dividends later in the season.
And I agree with the assessment that we have several pretty good players at DT and DE. Waves of fresh guys. And they're all under contract already, except Slaton.
We can return Slaton and Wilson for a relatively modest amount, and that would basically return the entire defense from last year, minus Stokes, plus a quality FA CB. That's a pretty enviable position going into the draft.
GregC
March 08, 2025 at 03:56 pm
That is a good way to look at it, but you are the only one I've heard say it. Many people seem to think our defense is mediocre if not terrible and is in desperate need of major upgrades at DE and CB and maybe DT as well. I hear over and over that Hafley had to blitz too often to generate pressure, but the Packers were 10th in sacks in spite of being second to last in blitzing percentage.
In addition to returning everyone or virtually everyone, there is only one player on the defense--Kenny Clark--who may be declining due to age. At the beginning of last season, it was Preston Smith, and they traded him away. I would say that at least half of the defensive players have a decent chance of being better in 2025, while the others--except for Clark--are near their peak.
SicSemperTyrannis
March 08, 2025 at 08:10 pm
Fresh legs move quicker and hit harder. Whatever keeps these guys at peak performance would be my preference. Those in the building would seem to have a better handle on this info and for each individual than those of us who are not in the building.
This is part of what makes Maxx Crosby such a freak; he plays every snap and stays fierce throughout.
"Playing the hot hand" seems like a good way to reduce drops, increase pass completion %, and overall improve our offense.
Certainly there's a good way of doing this, with all our players. Hopefully MLF sees this as an "area of opportunity," meaning something he could improve at.
PackerBackerAZ
March 08, 2025 at 02:58 pm
If the Packers are able to bring in Hendrickson, then you sit Van Ness. You start Cox opposite him and sub with Gary and Enagbare. The Packers will still need to find a defensive tackle that can pressure the qb and play the run.
LLCHESTY
March 08, 2025 at 08:01 pm
If they don't sign a vet they'll be drafting a rookie high. Brooks is a DT, think you meant Cox.
SicSemperTyrannis
March 08, 2025 at 08:28 pm
They should both sign a FA and draft a monster pass rushing prospect. There are few enough areas of need to be able to do this in 2025.
gsd3
March 09, 2025 at 04:51 am
Brooks mostly plays DT. No mention of Cox? If cincy wanted a 3rd and a player, KB, Cox, or Brooks could be part of the deal. Maybe Wooden as well.
HarryHodag
March 08, 2025 at 10:10 am
Hendrickson would be a solid acquisition. The overall price might be too high. We'll see. It's like Metcalf. A solid addition but...
Mack would be a mistake. Remember when the Bears had him? He was going to destroy the Packers? It didn't happen and that was several years ago.
I'm cautious about throwing whatever demands are made for a player. While the team has cap space you must be careful not to have a half-dozen expensive players and the rest of the team being castoffs from practice squads. It's all about balance, plus next year a bunch of the players will be having expiring contracts and some of them need to be retained. So a little carryover in cap to next year might be good.
GregC
March 08, 2025 at 10:59 am
Mack has played really well against the Packers. In 9 games (7 of them with the Bears), he has 8.5 sacks and 3 forced fumbles. But he couldn't beat the Packers single-handedly, because the Bears sucked. (They still do, actually.)
HarryHodag
March 08, 2025 at 11:06 am
Good points, Greg but lest we forget age is catching up with Mack.
GregC
March 08, 2025 at 12:26 pm
Yep, 34 years old. Gutey and his staff will have to make a judgment about how much they think he has left in the tank. They would probably want to get two good years out of him.
Major Snafu
March 11, 2025 at 12:04 pm
He's not coming here. These guys his age disire that one last big pay day for retirement and he wont take some low ball offer from the packers when he doesnt have to. He is looking for money more then playing on a contender but to do both if the first option.
harleycops
March 08, 2025 at 10:40 am
Guter won't lift a wallet finger for this big dog DL. That's not what he does. Imagine giving up a 2 or a 3 rd pick to acquire a monster for the defense goes against his character. G.Bay free agency is an annual nightmare because the big dogs go to other teams and then we go out for the tier 3/4 players at a discount. Granted, last year we got McKinney/Jacobs. Well, if that worked out, why not do the same this year and pick up some top tier FAs. Let's see what Guter does---surprise us Guter. Do something bold once instead of picking up the crumbs off the table players after all the other teams have eaten.
13TimeChamps
March 08, 2025 at 01:34 pm
"G.Bay free agency is an annual nightmare because the big dogs go to other teams and then we go out for the tier 3/4 players at a discount."
Teams can't just go out and "pick up some top tier FAs" whenever they feel like it. There are salary cap restraints and 31 other teams potentially out bidding them. Maybe a player they're interested in doesn't want to come to GB. This isn't like going to the store to pick up some milk.
You don't have a clue how often GB inquires about other team's players. And who is this "Guter" you keep referring to?
harleycops
March 08, 2025 at 04:33 pm
Ever hear of the GM named Gutekunst? Really, you couldn't figure that out?
13TimeChamps
March 08, 2025 at 04:48 pm
It was sarcasm. Really, you couldn't figure that out?
SicSemperTyrannis
March 08, 2025 at 08:54 pm
Get your mind out of the gutter.
LeotisHarris
March 08, 2025 at 11:01 am
Try, sure. Take out a third mortgage and sell the kids, no. It's okay to throw our hat in the ring, test the waters, maybe make an offer, but don't try so hard that it hurts. We're not that far away on D.
Leatherhead
March 08, 2025 at 01:13 pm
Well, he would help us score more points......
SicSemperTyrannis
March 08, 2025 at 08:54 pm
Lol
Starrbrite
March 08, 2025 at 11:11 am
I’ve been banging the drum to sign/trade for a stud like Crosby, Garrett, or Hendrickson. With Crosby off the board, we still have the opportunity to make an ambitious move and add a game-changing player akin to a Reggie White. Hendrickson fits the bill.
We don’t have to cross our fingers with Hendrickson (or Garrett); we know what we’re getting.
Sitting on our hands and watching our rivals potentially grabbing one of these dudes is unacceptable.
Go get’em Gutey—you won’t regret it.
Go Packers!!!
LambeauPlain
March 08, 2025 at 11:24 am
Draft within the rich DL class and let new coach, Covington, teach them, coach them up. The defense is not that far away from being a dominant team at all 3 levels.
Covington seems to be very intelligent, great communicator, a motivator, and fits what Hafley wants...match the weekly game plan to exploit opponent weakness using individual team strengths to max team performance. A different match every week.
I like the new coach. Can he have as much a positive effect on the DL as Hafley had on the entire D? I think so.
Spending all the cap on a splash DL when it can be used to acquire a few more proven FA talents as quality depth to challenge for a starting role makes more sense to me.
SicSemperTyrannis
March 08, 2025 at 08:57 pm
Indeed.
A dominant O line all the way across, with serviceable depth, would do the most to win more games.
IMHO.
Hopefully JL10 is playing catch with all his targets ...
WD
March 08, 2025 at 02:59 pm
For a two or a three would be a steal! Then draft CB with our first round. We could then legitimately talk about winning more than one game in our division.
PackyCheese500
March 08, 2025 at 03:03 pm
A third would be the absolute most I'd give. Hendrickson will turn 31 during 2025 so there's a real chance his best seasons are already behind him. Hendrickson wants an extension, and paying 30m+ per year to a 30+ year old player for 3 years is too risky to give up significant draft capital for. Not to mention he plays one of the most physically demanding positions in the sport.
Better to go younger in Free Agency for someone like Josh Sweat. That would not require us to surrender any draft picks.
gsd3
March 09, 2025 at 04:56 am
Who says it would be 30 million plus? He hasn't. When Gary is getting 25 it's kind of a kick in the nut sack for Trey to be around 15.
He may settle for less plus incentives.
PackyCheese500
March 09, 2025 at 11:11 am
He is looking for 30m plus. That’s why he requested a trade in the first place - because the Bengals were unwilling to commit that kind of money to a player who will turn 31 during this coming season
davekenya
March 08, 2025 at 03:38 pm
Getting Hendrickson sounds like fun! But there are a lot of considerations:
Age. At 30, there's starting to be more injury risk and lower production risk -- likely not this year, but over the next few years. Gutey and GB generally don't seek out older (30+) age players to add to the roster...so is unlikely.
Cost. Would simply demand too much. It would likely not be very efficient. You'd get good overall AV return but would have to give up too much in cap money and player capital.
Position. As mentioned, we already have guys at DE that we need more from at their current prices (Gary in dollars; Van Ness in high draft capital - the high #1 spent on him). Adding Hendrickson would decrease play time for one of these guys. Best way to mitigate this would be trading Gary for Hendrickson as salaries would be at least a bit 'on par' versus trading Van Ness who's still on rookie deal.
Position Part 2. I'd rather see Gutey swing his bat at J. Allen or J. Sweat at DT. They are proven and adding either would not only improve the team but a strong DT in the middle would make either/both Gary/ Van Ness look 'better' as they'd benefit. Sort of a win-win.
Anyway, for me, a big upgrade at disruption from the middle of the defensive line would add more to the Pack than a different DE...
Just my opinion...we shall see how it plays out, eh?
Packerpasty
March 08, 2025 at 06:50 pm
A really good player like Hendrickson would also make Gary a much better threat, now he see's constant double teams and gets worn down...the rest of the slugs out there with him dont invite double teams...Hendrickson would for sure...cant double everyone...but I also doubt this will happen...
Starrbrite
March 09, 2025 at 02:04 pm
P-Pasty—exactly right—he would help everyone on the D, including the secondary.
LLCHESTY
March 08, 2025 at 08:08 pm
Sign Landry, Adams and Adebo(or whatever CB they think fits best). Burn no draft picks and take a DT, burner WR(Jalen Royals) and OT high in the draft. With Slaton gone and Clark gone next year I'd be happy if they drafted two DTs in the 1st three rounds.
WD
March 09, 2025 at 11:02 am
We were 0-5 and if not for a blocked FG against the Bears we would have been 0-6 in our division! Let that sink in! Watch the Bears or Detroit take Hendrickson.
Championships don't come for free. Premium players demand and will get top dollar. We need a game changer at edge! I thought Van Ness could be that guy. He still could be but it is looking doubtful. There are only a few that will meet that bar. None at the 23rd pick in the draft.
PhantomII
March 08, 2025 at 09:06 pm
If we can play Gary 25M for a measly 7.5 sacks, surely 17 sacks justify 30M. 4 players need to get a good pass rush on the QB. I'm pretty confident we have 0 of the 4 starting players we need to do that at a pretty good clip as proven by last season. We more than likely need 2 edge rushers and 2 better DL....Whatever we do to improve that, makes us a little better. We probably need to hit the DL pretty hard in the draft also and possibly end up with 1-Edge better than Gary and 1-DL better than what we got now should be the focus in FA on defense.
harryparker0005
March 10, 2025 at 03:58 am
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Major Snafu
March 11, 2025 at 11:59 am
Ya hopefully Gutt can win the day with management by finding a couple of free agents in their 30's, rework the contrats of some loser running backs that no one else really wants and then get a hoard of draft picks to keep cheap ball in fool bloom again.
Hey this team lacks so much talent all around that I'll be shocked if they make the playoffs.
Duffman_44
March 13, 2025 at 09:46 pm
Since Ted missed on drafting Watt, the defensive line has been a weak spot without free agents like the Smith brothers coming in.
Just trade Gary for Hendrickson - that would be an upgrade and it frees money to extend Hendrickson.