GREEN BAY, Wis. – On Tuesday, Trey Hendrickson, the star defensive end, expressed feelings of letdown by the Cincinnati Bengals. “They said, ‘Go ahead, play the season. We’ll look after you,’” Hendrickson shared with the media. “It’s just disheartening.” The tension between the Bengals and their top defensive player has been simmering for months, and this week it reached a boiling point. On Monday, Hendrickson released a statement to ESPN, highlighting the lack of communication between the team and either himself or his agent, Harold Lewis, since the draft. Consequently, there hasn’t been any movement towards “achieving shared objectives.” On Tuesday, Hendrickson attended but didn’t take part in voluntary workouts. After the session, he stated he wouldn’t continue under his existing contract terms. According to Hendrickson, Coach Zac Taylor texted him on Monday, warning of fines if he failed to attend the June minicamp. “It’s unfortunately become personal,” Hendrickson remarked.

Should Hendrickson seek a departure, there’s a Super Bowl hopeful lacking in pass rush reinforcements that could be an option: the Green Bay Packers. Although the Packers ranked eighth in sacks last season, they came in at 16th for pressure percentage and 21st for knockdown percentage, according to SportRadar. Their new additions to the pass rush are fourth-round pick Barryn Sorrell and fifth-round choice Collin Oliver. “I’m pleased with our draft choices,” defensive end Jeff Hafley commented on Monday. “It fosters competition. We’ll see how it evolves. I’m hopeful we can extract maximum performance from them and enhance our pass rush… They’re talented, smart, and competitive, enjoyable to analyze from their college days, but real testing begins soon.”

While hope is good, guaranteed top-tier performance is preferable. Hendrickson earned first-team All-Pro honors in 2024, leading the NFL with 17.5 sacks. For the Packers, Rashan Gary led with 7.5 sacks. Green Bay’s defensive ends – Gary (7.5), Kingsley Enagbare (4.5), Brenton Cox (4.0), Lukas Van Ness (3.0), and Arron Mosby (0.5) – totaled 19.5 sacks combined. Rushing the passer involves more than just sacks. Pro Football Focus noted Hendrickson and Browns standout Myles Garrett tied for most pressures in the NFL with 83 each. Green Bay’s leaders, Gary (45) and Enagbare (27), managed 72 pressures together. Van Ness had 20, meaning Hendrickson had just nine fewer pressures than Gary, Enagbare, and Van Ness combined.

Hendrickson is coming off his fourth straight Pro Bowl season, recording at least 13.5 sacks in four of the last five seasons. He also achieved 17.5 sacks in 2023; only Reggie White has three consecutive seasons with 17.5 sacks in NFL history. Hendrickson would be a significant asset to any defense. With Gary not surpassing 10 sacks again, defensive tackle Kenny Clark coming off a lackluster season, and his 30th birthday approaching, the Packers lack a true game-changing defensive lineman. Hendrickson will turn 31 late in the season. He’s entering his contract’s final year and is significantly underpaid with a base salary of $15.8 million. This offseason, Garrett extended his deal for $40 million annually, the Texans’ Danielle Hunter renewed at $35.6 million per year, and the Raiders’ Maxx Crosby secured $35.5 million annually.

These recent deals suggest negotiating with Hendrickson should be straightforward. “I’m not apologizing for the salary rates of defensive ends in the NFL,” Hendrickson stated. The Bengals, however, seem to expect an apology. “He should appreciate certain rates he might not find satisfactory,” said Bengals executive vice president Katie Blackburn at the NFL spring meetings. “He needs to find contentment at some point, and if he doesn’t, that’s what sometimes causes delays. We hold immense respect for him.”

From Green Bay’s viewpoint, the financial implications are challenging. While the Packers have $27.4 million in cap space for 2025, tougher times are anticipated. Per OverTheCapcom, simply assembling a 51-man offseason roster would leave them $7.14 million over the 2026 cap, ranking among the eight worst situations. Options to create cap space include moving on from Jaire Alexander and restructuring contracts. However, the Packers must also manage a strong group of upcoming free agents, especially star right tackle Zach Tom. While they didn’t make any notable defensive line additions this offseason, they did draft Sorrell and Oliver. With the returning five players, the Packers have numerous players on the edge.

Considering the substantial contracts given to quarterback Joe Burrow and receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, the Bengals might consider one of Green Bay’s rookie-contract defensive ends in a trade package if they can’t resolve matters with their top defensive asset. “Speaking the truth sets you free,” Hendrickson said about airing his frustrations publicly. “Having tough conversations and being truthful – I’m from Florida. There are unprovoked shark attacks and provoked ones. The comments being made – whatever occurred at the Combine, at the owners meetings, and the text from Taylor yesterday – this isn’t just me idly wondering, ‘How can I get the next opportunity?’ These actions are provoked.”