Packers Predicted to Trade for 4-Time Pro Bowler

The Green Bay Packers already have a solid pass-rush, but they may need one more piece to catapult it to the next level. 

In 2024, the Packers tied for eighth in the NFL in sacks (45). That figure looks good on paper, but most of Green Bay's production came from two players, edge-rusher Rashan Gary and defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt. 

Gary had 7.5 sacks in 17 regular-season games, while Wyatt had five in 14. No other Packer had more than 4.5 sacks.  It's safe to say Green Bay could use a premier edge-rusher, perhaps Trey Hendrickson of the Cincinnati Bengals. 

In a new hypothetical trade from The 33rd Team, the Packers send their 2025 third-rounder to the Bengals for Hendrickson. 

Hendrickson requested a trade on Thursday and is seeking a new deal. In 2023, the 30-year-old signed a one-year, $21 million extension to his original four-year, $60 million contract.

Cincinnati wide receivers Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase are also in line for extensions, making it more challenging for the Bengals to give Hendrickson a mega-deal.

"I'm just tremendously blessed, the relationships I've made," Hendrickson told Olivia Ray of WLWT-TV in Cincinnati on Friday. "However it shakes out, there's no place I'd rather be."

Spotrac's salary cap tracker estimates the Packers have $43.25 million in cap space. That should be enough room for a potential extension for Hendrickson. His market value is a two-year deal worth $29.7 million annually.  

A player of Hendrickson's caliber should be worth the asking price. In eight seasons with the New Orleans Saints and Bengals, he has made four Pro Bowls and earned one first-team All-Pro nod. 

In 17 games in 2024, he led the league in sacks (17.5). Over the past four seasons, Hendrickson has finished with 14 sacks or more three times.