The Cincinnati Bengals and star pass rusher Trey Hendrickson have been at an impasse all offseason and it doesn't look like that will be solved any time soon. The only resolution could be for the Bengals to trade him.
The Los Angeles Chargers have a solid pass-rush plan in place for the coming season, even after moving on from Joey Bosa, but who couldn't use the league leader in sacks last year?
If a trade is to be made, according to Dianna Russini, Senior NFL Insider for The Athletic, the Bengals have been consistent in their talks with teams around the league in terms of what they are looking for in return. That is a first-round pick and a young defensive player. Russini notes that it doesn't have to be a pass rusher that they get back.
Any potential Trey Hendrickson trade faces obstacles between Cincinnati's high asking price and the timing of all of this.
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) August 19, 2025
What I'm hearing: pic.twitter.com/uECh488vTf
Russini notes that one of the things that could be holding a deal up right now is the timing of it, as the start of the regular season is fast approaching. Some teams will see that as too much of a burden.
"Not only are you going to have to give up this draft capital, but you're going to have him pay him. So, you're gonna have to do a whole new contract and most teams have spent a lot of their money", said Russini.
The Chargers, according to Over The Cap, are currently sitting on about $27.2 million of cap space and could afford to make a deal. With all of those things in mind, here is a deal that could make some sense.
Chargers-Bengals Trade Proposal
Chargers Receive: Edge Trey Hendrickson
Bengals Receive: 2026 First-round pick, Safety Elijah Molden
Molden is a terrific player and the Chargers want him to be part of their future after trading for him just one year ago, which is why I initially placed Alohi Gilman in this spot. However, it feels like Gilman may not be enough to make a deal go down and Molden is younger than him as well.
The Bengals figure to be bad on defense again in 2025 and they could be really bad if they don't have Hendrickson, but giving them Molden and a first-round pick next season, as well as taking that contract off their hands, could be more than enough to convince their front office to pull the trigger.
The Chargers could argue that taking that money off the Bengals' books is enough to warrant them taking Gilman instead of Molden in the deal, which would be a huge win. The play of sixth-round pick R.J. Mickens this summer allows the Chargers to be flexible at the safety position, as he looks like a future star.
There was a flurry of trades in the NFL on Wednesday and as we get closer to roster cut-down date, we could see some more. But this one, or one like it, could be the biggest trade of the offseason. If the Chargers pulled this deal off, pairing Hendrickson with Khalil Mack would make the AFC West race quite interesting.
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