On Tuesday morning, some major news broke out of the AFC that could give the Patriots a huge opening to make a major trade. The Patriots have made a series of great moves this offseason, and much of the focus has been bolstering the trenches and just making life easier for second-year QB Drake Maye.
Maye and the Pats have what it takes to be a breakout team in 2025, and while they are probably still a year away from playoff contention, a winning record is absolutely in the picture. Roster-wise, de-facto GM Eliot Wolf and Mike Vrabel have really brought in a ton of quality talent.
And some recent news on Tuesday could give the front office one last chance to make a major move to improve the roster ahead of training camp.
Trey Hendrickson is not reporting to the Cincinnati Bengals...
This is... notable to say the least:
Long-term extension talks between the #Bengals and star Trey Hendrickson broke down over guaranteed money before camp… and Hendrickson has now indicated he left the state.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 22, 2025
He just posted this on Instagram. pic.twitter.com/Le2aKris0t
Unless you've been living under a rock, you have known for a while now that the Bengals and Trey Hendrickson just have not been able to come close to a long-term contract extension. Hendrickson has turned into one of the best pass rushers in the NFL and simply wants a raise, but the Bengals cheap ways seem to be getting in the way of a long-term deal.
Hendrickson has made four Pro Bowls, all with the Bengals and all over the last four seasons. He's also got 35 total sacks since the start of 2023 and is just a flat-out great football player. There are two concerns with a potential deal, though, so the Patriots would have to be careful.
The first concern is age - Trey Hendrickson is entering his age-31 season in the NFL, so you have to wonder when the wheels will fall off. He's played 110 regular season games and has been a full-time starter for the last five seasons. The other concern here is scheme fit - the Patriots run a base 3-4 defense, but Hendrickson has dominated in the base 4-3 defense. He is a 4-3 defensive end, so he might be a bit undersized as a 3-4 defensive end.
However, I am sure head coach Mike Vrabel could see the vision with Hendrickson being on the New England Patriots, and it would also close the gap between those two teams as well, which would essentially check off another box in the franchise's rebuild.