Trey Hendrickson is on track to be one of the most-coveted free agents in the 2021 offseason — New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis certainly expects him to draw plenty of attention. The 6-foot-4, 270-pound defensive end broke out in a huge way for the Saints in 2020 with 13.5 sacks, tying Aaron Donald for the second-highest total in the league. And now he gets to cash in.
But will the Saints be able to match his price? The bidding for star pass rushers typically starts at a rate of roughly $1 million per sack created, and while that stat isn’t the end-all, be-all of evaluating players, it is one of the most significant plays in the game. Sacks are drive killers, between the loss of a down and the yards that set back the offense — Sportsradar found that, in 2018, offensive drives including a sack allowed ended with a score just 23.8% of the time.
So let’s assume that Hendrickson is on his way out, even if that isn’t a sure thing just yet. Maybe the Saints can work some magic and re-sign him, or his market isn’t as open as expected. Anyway: here are four teams that need pass-rush upgrades and have the funds to pull off a big signing in 2021.
