As of now, Trey Hendrickson is still holding out of practice and on-field drills as contract negotiations between him and the Cincinnati Bengals continue to be in a deadlock. At this point, the NFL preseason is fully underway, and the regular season is only weeks away from its start. This means that if an agreement can’t be struck soon, the Bengals might need to consider trading Hendrickson in order to get something for him, rather than letting him walk for free after a season-long holdout.
But what are teams willing to offer the Bengals in exchange for Hendrickson? And can the Bengals properly move on without him? We fired up Madden 26 Franchise mode, put the defensive end on the trade block, and watched the offers come through to evaluate each one.
Trade Offers For Trey Hendrickson In Madden 26
Upon firing up a Franchise mode save for the Cincinnati Bengals in Madden 26, I immediately went into the Trade Finder and put Hendrickson up in the shop window to see what teams were willing to offer for him. Sure enough, a lot of teams threw their hate into the ring. In fact, I had offers from 25 different teams for Henrickson, meaning I had no shortage of options. It was really only a matter of finding out which one worked best for the Bengals in both the short and long term.
Listing out all 25 of the offers wouldn’t really be worth it, so I’ll stick to the few that stood out as being particularly good. Here are the three that seemed the most worth it.
Denver Broncos
- Linebacker Dre Greenlaw
- 2026 2nd Round pick
- 2026 3rd Round pick
- 2026 5th Round pick
Kansas City Chiefs
- Linebacker Leo Chenal
- 2027 1st Round pick
- 2027 4th Round pick
- 2027 6th Round pick
- 2027 7th Round pick
Tennessee Titans
- HB Tony Pollard
- 2026 7th Round pick
- 2027 2nd Round pick
- 2027 4th Round pick
- 2027 7th Round pick
These offers stood out because they not only included a quality player in return for Hendrickson, but also provided the Bengals with valuable draft capital. From there, it was simply a matter of choosing which deal made the most sense.
Upon reflection, I chose to go with the Kansas City Chiefs’ offer. Though the last thing anyone would want to do is provide the Chiefs with any weapons that would continue to make them as dominant as they have been, turning down four draft picks for 2027 — including a first-rounder — felt like malpractice.
How Did The Trade Affect The Cincinnati Bengals In 2025?
As one might assume, losing an edge runner of Hendrickson’s caliber didn’t bode well for the Bengals’ defense, which proceeded to give up 5,697 yards on the season, the fifth worst in the league in 2025. However, the star-studded Bengals offense made up for it. In my Franchise save, the Bengals finished 10-7, good enough for a Wild Card spot in the AFC, surviving the always competitive AFC North. The Chiefs, on the other hand, finished a mediocre 9-8, but still managed to make the playoffs regardless.
In the Wild Card round, the Bengals dispatched the Houston Texans in a 28-21 contest. Next up: A visit to the Chiefs, Hendrickson’s new home. Unfortunately, despite the Chiefs finishing with a worse record on the season, they were able to edge out a 28-25 win over the Bengals in the Divisional Round. It was a bitter pill to swallow, but overall, the season was a success.
How Did The Cincinnati Bengals Fare Long-Term After The Trey Hendrickson Trade?
Going into 2026, I wasn’t expecting the Bengals to do much. At most, the team’s prospects of making the playoffs were the same as the year prior. At worst, they had possibly regressed a bit on the defensive side. Sure enough, the latter proved to be true.
In 2026, the Bengals finished 8-9, which wasn’t nearly good enough to be in the playoff mix. However, all attention turned to the 2027 NFL Draft, in which the Bengals had a ton of draft capital. Upon the 2026 season’s end, I simulated straight to the next draft to see who the CPU would select. Here are the selections the Bengals made:
- 1st Round, Pick 14: CB Taj Douglas (78 OVR)
- 1st Round, Pick 23: RG Abdul Arrington (77 OVR)
- 2nd Round, Pick 14: HB Quincy Barkley (75 OVR)
- 3rd Round, Pick 14: FS Matthew Russell (72 OVR)
- 4th Round, Pick 14: LG Ezekial Keys (65 OVR)
- 4th Round, Pick 23: LEDG Jeremy Vaughn (66 OVR)
- 5th Round, Pick 14: CB Chauncey Archer (66 OVR)
- 6th Round, Pick 14: REDG Eddie Fargas (70 OVR)
- 6th Round, Pick 23: QB Dudley Walker (64 OVR)
- 7th Round, Pick 14: CB Ladarius Gatson (67 OVR)
- 7th Round, Pick 23: HB Billy McCain (71 OVR)
Overall, the Bengals were able to select 11 players in the 2027 NFL Draft, all of whom seemed to have decent upside. Having 6 selections in the first four rounds was good for business, too. But how did the team pan out in subsequent seasons?
In 2027, the Bengals faltered, finishing with only a 7-10 record, worse than they finished in 2026. And in 2028, things weren’t any better as they again finished 7-10 and failed to make the playoffs.
Overall, trading Hendrickson for a ton of draft picks didn’t help the Bengals in either the short-term or long-term in Madden 26. Obviously, Madden is a video game and is in no way a predictor of real-life success (or failure). But, it certainly doesn’t give Bengals fans any reassurance when it comes to the team’s future prospects of competing in the playoffs.
