Insider 'Watching' for Colts Trey Hendrickson Trade

Are the Indianapolis Colts honing in on a possible trade for Trey Hendrickson?

Jan 4, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson (91) pass rushes at the line of scrimmage against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the second quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The Indianapolis Colts have been connected to a possible trade for Cincinnati Bengals superstar edge rusher Trey Hendrickson for a while. Now, it's confirmed by ESPN's insider Jeremy Fowler.

Fowler said: "This one's complicated because Hendrickson does want a new contract well above $30 million per year." Fowler continued, "The Bengals have tried to sign him, they made him a contract offer. And I'm even told despite trade talks, they've had some reignited discussions with Hendrickson's people over the last few days, but it still hasn't gotten anywhere. It looks like the Bengals' priorities are those two receivers and that makes it tough for Hendrickson. So, he's certainly open to a trade at this point."

Bengals receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins are the priority for deals, leaving the four-time Pro Bowler and First Team All-Pro on the outside for a $30+ million deal. Fowler then dove into the possible fit for Hendrickson being the Colts.

"One team I'm watching for is the Indianapolis Colts because there are just a lot of ties to Hendrickson. They need a pass rusher. His former coach at Florida Atlantic, Charlie Partridge, is the D-Line coach in Indy. His former defensive coordinator in Cincinnati, Lou Anarumo, is also in Indianapolis."

This trade sounds like it makes perfect sense, the biggest question is how much the Colts are willing to give up for the Florida Atlantic alum. Hendrickson wants a big payday, and the Bengals are likely demanding multiple high-round draft picks for this haul.

The Colts' edge room consists of Kwity Paye, Laiatu Latu, Samson Ebukam, and Tyquan Lewis, and while this position group is no slouch for Lou Anarumo, adding Hendrickson is the piece to make it elite.

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Similarly to Charvarius Ward and Camryn Bynum for Indy's defense, Hendrickson is an immediate game-changer for the potential of Anarumo's charge. Hendrickson is coming off a dominant season where he led the league in sacks (17.5), had 46 tackles (19 for loss), and 36 quarterback hits. The last three metrics are all career highs.

While Indianapolis was named as a link to Hendrickson, there are likely many teams interested in such an insanely talented edge rusher. Regardless of who is in a team's edge room, everyone can use a Hendrickson off the line of scrimmage to wreak havoc on opposing quarterbacks.

This is a developing situation, so it will be intriguing to see if Chris Ballard throws a big enough deal at Cincy to accept a trade for Hendrickson. While it doesn't seem likely from a general manager like Ballard, he's shown to be against the typical grain by being heavily involved in signing free agents.

Indianapolis' defense becomes very interesting if a Hendrickson trade happens. Keep an eye out on this endeavor, as the Colts seem to be involved with a possible deal.

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