Trey Hendrickson, who has played the past five seasons for the Cincinnati Bengals and led the NFL in sacks in 2024, thanked the team in an Instagram post moments after reports confirming that Cincinnati is not using the franchise tag on the free-agent edge rusher.
Hendrickson will hit the market when the legal tampering period of free agency begins Mon., March 9. The window to place the franchise tag on an NFL player opened Feb. 17, and ended March 3.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo reported Feb. 8 that the Bengals were considering using the franchise tag on Hendrickson.
The Enquirer’s Kelsey Conway wrote in February about the decision the Bengals had to make with Hendrickson.
ESPN’s Matt Bowen wrote Feb. 17 that the Indianapolis Colts are the best team fit for Hendrickson. Bowen had Hendrickson ranked No. 1 among the NFL’s top 50 free agents available this offseason.
From Hendrickson via Instagram:
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Trey Hendrickson, free-agent DE, thanks Bengals after five seasons
Reporting by Dave Clark, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
