It’s not everyday that a star player gets traded in the NFL, but it does happen from time to time. Whether it’s made public that a team is ready to move on from a star player or not, trades happen all the time. Sometimes it’s expected and sometimes it’s not.
In recent history one of the biggest trades that happened involving a star player that wasn’t expected to get traded was wideout DeAndre Hopkins going from the Houston Texans to the Arizona Cardinals in the 2020 offseason. You would think that move was bad for the Texans, but it only got worse when all they got in return was running back David Johnson and his bad contract, as well as a 2nd and 4th round pick.
That was also the same offseason where the Buffalo Bills traded for wideout Stefon Diggs from the Minnesota Vikings, in which they gave up a haul which included a 2020 1st-round pick. However, it was an even trade as the Vikings built up their team from that haul and Diggs played a major factor in helping Josh Allen become an All-Pro like quarterback.
In this offseason, one star player that could be traded but there are no true signs of it is Cincinnati Bengals star pass rusher Trey Hendrickson who has made it clear that he wants a new contract from the Bengals’ front office. Last month, Hendrickson went on a major rant about how he is disappointed in the lack of progress and communication as far as a new contract. He doesn’t seem like he will be caving anytime soon, but neither do the Bengals.
If that is the case, with Hendrickson having just one more year left on his contract, the Bengals should be looking to get some value rather than losing him for nothing next offseason.
Proposed (but unlikely) trade for Trey Hendrickson makes too much sense for Bills
Jeremy Fowler, Dan Graziano, Ben Solak, and Seth Walder from ESPN listed NFL trade offers involving Hendrickson and Graziano pitched the idea of the Bills trading a 2026 2nd-round pick to acquire Hendrickson from the Bengals. Here’s a bit of what Graziano said about the proposed trade:
"With offseason pickup Joey Bosa already injured, this move would help the Bills' pass rush add a stronger, healthier option. Hendrickson might not get the new contract of his dreams, but perhaps Bills general manager Brandon Beane could sell him on an improved chance to get to the Super Bowl."Dan Graziano, ESPN
Now granted, I don’t see an AFC trade like this going down between two teams who have a serious shot at making a Super Bowl run in 2025. However, we all know that the Bengals have a horrendous defense and if it wasn’t for their dominant pass attack led by Joe Burrow, Cincinnati would not be a championship contender.
At the same time, if the Bengals were smart and managed to get some value for Hendrickson rather than be stuck in this drama for the whole 2025 season and lose him for nothing, they would look smart on their end. As for the Bills, a 2nd-round pick is almost nothing because they are a true championship contender and adding someone like Hendrickson would hopefully put them over the edge for 2025 and hopefully the future. The only thing that would have to be considered is what kind of contract the Bills could offer Hendrickson.
Again, I don’t see the Bengals sending Hendrickson to another AFC powerhouse who they could potentially see in the playoffs. However, imagine an edge rusher room in Buffalo with Hendrickson, Greg Rousseau, a healthy Joey Bosa, A.J. Epenesa, and a draft steal in Landon Jackson. Yeah, Buffalo would have the best pass rush in the league and it wouldn’t be close.