When Maxx Crosby and the Las Vegas Raiders agreed to a contract extension on Wednesday, fallout from the move was imminent.
The deal made the superstar pass rusher the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL. With several other edge rushers approaching decisions on new contracts, they will be gunning for that title themselves. It was never a question of if there would be repercussions to Crosby’s deal, but when they would start.
The answer revealed itself no more than 24 hours later.
The Cincinnati Bengals are allowing defensive end Trey Hendrickson to pursue a trade.
With Hendrickson seeking to pursue a new contract, he is now seeking a trade to a team willing to offer him an extension, according to CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones.
The Bengals are allowing All-Pro edge rusher Trey Hendrickson to seek a trade, source tells @NFLonCBS. Hendrickson is in the final year of his contract and is seeking an extension. The Bengals have hoped to retain Hendrickson, Chase and Higgins this offseason.
— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) March 6, 2025
Losing Hendrickson would be a massive blow to the Bengals, as well as a boost for the team that ultimately acquires him.
Hendrickson is coming off a career 2024, where he lead the NFL in sacks with 17.5 (3.5 more than anyone else). He was named first-team All-Pro and finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting, barely losing to Denver Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II. While Hendrickson is slightly older than Crosby (he will turn 31 in December), he makes up for it with availability and versatility.
With the close timeframe between the two announcements, it is hard to imagine Hendrickson’s trade pursuit not being linked to Crosby’s extension.
Coming off of such a prolific season, it makes sense that Hendrickson is looking for a contract similar to Crosby’s. If the Bengals are not interested in offering him what he wants, he has no issue finding potential suitors looking for some serious pass-rushing juice. In that case, Raiders general manager John Spytek deserves his flowers for getting the deal with Crosby done now to avoid this type of situation later.
Crosby has officially reset the edge rusher market, and Hendrickson is just the first major shakeup to occur because of it.
