Did Trey Hendrickson Chose the Ravens to Be a Bengals Rival?

One could definitely argue that Trey Hendrickson got treated unfairly by the Cincinnati Bengals. The team was open to trading the pass rusher last year, despite Hendrickson coming off back-to-back 17.5-sack seasons. They didn’t like the fact that the 30-year-old was asking for a high price and long-term security. Cinci has been known for being cheap, never really giving guaranteed money past one year.

The trade didn’t work out either, with the Bengals receiving no high-round pick offers. Hendrickson ended up getting injured, cutting his time short in the 2025 season, and the team didn’t even tag him this year. After the March 3, 2026 deadline, he was free to sign anywhere, and Hendrickson ended up signing with the Bengals’ AFC North divisional rival, the Ravens.

But the thing is, the Indianapolis Colts were very much interested in signing the DE. They had reportedly even made a very lucrative offer to Hendrickson. So, did Hendrickson personally decide to play for the Ravens so he could face the Bengals two times every season?

Like I said, he CHOSE to play against his former team https://t.co/6IsFochv3V

— Dixon Syder (@DixonSyderNFL) March 15, 2026

While many fans online believe that Hendrickson only chose the Ravens to stay in the AFC North, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Reports state that the Colts offered the DE a $25 million per year contract. Meanwhile, the Ravens signed Hendrickson with a $28 million AAV, which is $3 million higher.

The thing is, Hendrickson would have very likely signed with the Colts had the Maxx Crosby trade not fallen through. The Ravens decided to keep their first-round picks they were about to give up to the Raiders for Crosby and sign Hendrickson instead.

The Colts, meanwhile, went with Michael Clemons to bolster the pass rush room with a three-year, $18.5 million deal, and Arden Key, who signed a two-year, $20 million contract in Indy. They were in on Hendrickson until the very end, per reports, so it must sting a bit that they didn’t get him.

With that all said, it still can be said with certainty that Hendrickson would be looking forward to meeting the Bengals at home and on his old stomping grounds every season he’s with the Ravens. He was obviously hoping the team would offer him a lucrative deal, but they didn’t, while also showing concerns about his age (he’ll be 32 in December) and his injury woes. The Ravens, meanwhile, signed the DE with a $60 million guaranteed deal.