Tag: Trey Hendrickson

Saints free agent DE Trey Hendrickson expected to sign with Bengals

The New Orleans Saints expect to lose 2020 sacks leader Trey Hendrickson in free agency after he agreed to sign with the Cincinnati Bengals.

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One of the New Orleans Saints’ top pending free agents is on his way out the door. Trey Hendrickson is expected to sign a contract offer from the Cincinnati Bengals, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport; his colleague Tom Pelissero reports that the deal on the table is valued at $60 million over four years, with $32 million guaranteed. It remains unclear which moves the Saints will make in free agency or which other contracts around the NFL will qualify, but that loss could fetch a third-round compensatory draft pick for New Orleans in 2022.

Hendrickson would replace Carl Lawson in Cincinnati, who left on a free agent deal with the New York Jets, while reuniting with his former teammate and Bengals captain Vonn Bell.

Remember, no pens can be put to paper until the new league year begins at 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday, March 17. This is a verbal agreement during the NFL’s early negotiating window (also called the legal tampering period). The deal could fall apart, but it’s tough to see Hendrickson walking away after earning that kind of money.

He broke out at the right time in the final year of his contract with 13.5 sacks, leading the team and tying with Los Angeles Rams supervillain Aaron Donald for the second-most takedowns in the entire league. Despite his injury history and several quiet seasons to start his career, Hendrickson played his way into the top of the free agent market. Good for him.

Hendrickson will leave New Orleans having appeared in 50 games through four years, notching 21 sacks and 3 forced fumbles along the way (including the playoffs). It’ll be tough to replace him, and adding more playmakers at defensive end should be an offseason priority for the Saints. For now, they’re leaning hard on a declining veteran in Cameron Jordan, a potential draft bust in Marcus Davenport, and an opportunistic backup in Carl Granderson (who had 5 sacks last year). Hendrickson had nearly as many sacks last season as all three of them combined (14).

Report: Bengals showing interest in free agent DE Trey Hendrickson

The Cincinnati Bengals have an eye on free-agent pass-rusher Trey Hendrickson.

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With the edge rusher market moving fast and Carl Lawson still out there, the Cincinnati Bengals are starting to show interest in defensive end Trey Hendrickson.

The report comes from NFL reporter Josina Anderson, who wrote the following: “I’m told the #Bengals are entering into the Trey Hendrickson conversation as well. Adding to my tweet below from earlier today.”

Hendrickson, 26, had a major breakout season last year for the New Orleans Saints, posting 13.5 sacks and a 72.1 PFF grade. He had previously never had more than 4.5 sacks in a season, so it’s hard to get a gauge on what his market really looks like.

Still, with the market moving so fast for pressure creators, Hendrickson is the type of 4-3 end who would make sense in the multiple scheme for the Bengals.

Whether this is a fallback plan with Lawson negotiations not working out, a way to pressure Lawson’s camp or even a way to add to the opposite end and have them both on the field at the same time remains to be seen — but the Bengals aren’t sitting on their hands during this first day of legal tampering.

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Report: Browns, Vikings, Jets among teams pursuing Saints DE Trey Hendrickson

New Orleans Saints pending free agent DE Trey Hendrickson reportedly has a hot market, with the Browns, Vikings, and Jets pursuing him.

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Trey Hendrickson is expected to enjoy a busy market as the top New Orleans Saints pending free agent, and NFL insider Josina Anderson has already reported three teams seeking his services. Anderson listed (in no specific order) the New York Jets, Minnesota Vikings, and Cleveland Browns as three suitors interested in Hendrickson at the opening of the NFL legal tampering window.

Now, we’re in a very fluid situation. No deals can be signed until the new league year begins Wednesday afternoon. Any of these teams could drop out and others could be in play. But it’s clear that Hendrickson’s breakout 2020 season caught the attention of several big spenders.

And there’s quite a demand for accomplished pass rushers. Romeo Okwara returned to the Detroit Lions on a $39 million contract; Shaq Barrett dwarfed that in a $72 million extension with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Hendrickson should earn comparable money after tying for second-best in the NFL last year with 13.5 sacks.

Of those three teams, the Jets have the most to offer with more than $68 million in cap space; the Browns are expected to be more discerning investors with $24 million to work with, while the Vikings only have roughly $9 million to spend. But Minnesota might have the worst need after logging just 23 sacks as a team last year — New York had 31, and Cleveland bagged 38 but wants to improve with a complimentary edge rusher to Myles Garrett. Let’s see where Hendrickson ends up.

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Report: Vikings have shown interest in Saints DE Trey Hendrickson

Do you want the Minnesota Vikings to sign New Orleans Saints DE Trey Hendrickson in 2021 free agency?

In Danielle Hunter’s absence, Minnesota’s pass rush was horrendous in 2020.

Now, it seems like the Vikings have interest in fixing some of the unit’s problems in free agency. According to Josina Anderson, Minnesota is among the teams interested in Saints DE Trey Hendrickson, who is a free agent this offseason.

Hendrickson broke out in 2020. He had 13.5 sacks and 33 pressures in 2020. He finished with a PFF grade of 72.1 and had a pass rush grade of 78. However, he had 4.5 sacks and 17 pressures in 2019.

Hendrickson has a small sample size of success, but if his 2020 is an indication of more to come, he would be a big get for the Vikings. DE Ifeadi Odenigbo was the only Minnesota player with more than 25 pressures in 2020, per PFF. Yannick Ngakoue, who was traded before the deadline, led the team in sacks with five.

So this is a unit that needs more than just Hunter returning to be good. Hendrickson might be worth the risk.

Jets showing interest in Saints DE Trey Hendrickson

The Jets are interested in signing Saints defensive end Trey Hendrickson, according to multiple reports.

The Jets are looking to add a pass rusher in free agency.

According to multiple reports, the Jets are interested in signing Saints defensive end Trey Hendrickson. The Vikings and Browns are among the other teams interested in the Saints pass rusher.

Hendrickson had a breakout 2020 season with the Saints, recording a career-high 13.5 sacks. He added 25 total tackles, 12 for loss, 25 quarterback hits, one pass defense and one forced fumble.

Hendrickson was a third-round pick out of Florida Atlantic by the Saints in the 2017 NFL draft. Before this past season, he only played in 30 games with just three starts.

The Jets desperately need to find an edge rusher. They won’t be getting the top free agent pass rusher in Shaquill Barrett, as he is returning to the Buccaneers. However, Hendrickson is a solid option and would be an upgrade for the Jets defense.

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The most dangerous “buyer beware” defensive free agents in 2021

With NFL free agency just around the corner, here are 11 upcoming free agents who have the “buyer beware” tag.

Throughout the history of NFL free agency, the best possible acquisitions have come when team, scheme, and player find a perfect marriage. Last year, the Panthers signed former Jets receiver Robby Anderson to a two-year, $20 million contract, expanded his route palette, and enjoyed Anderson’s status as far more than just a speed guy.

Also last season, the Dolphins signed former Browns defensive lineman Emmanuel Ogbah to a two-year, $15 million contract, unleashed him from every gap in their hyper-aggressive, Cover-0-heavy defense, and had a very good time indeed as Ogbah set career highs in sacks (9.0) and total pressures (66).

And when Bruce Arians and Tom Brady finally figured out the ideal balance between Arians’ “grip-it-and-rip-it” passing game, and Brady’s more measured approach, buttressed at it is by play-action and pre-snap motion… that worked out pretty well in the end.

Leonard Floyd with the Rams, Nelson Agholor with the Raiders… the list goes on and on regarding players who landed in the right spot. So, when coaches and talent evaluators take a close look at the 2021 free-agent class (which they’re already doing in earnest, as the new league year starts on March 17), there’s a lot of wisdom in looking at the players who best fit what you want to do on the field, as opposed to players who are scheme-nebulous and have athletic potential you think you can unlock out of nowhere.

Sometimes you can. More often, you can’t, and you wind up wasting contract dollars and cap space on players who don’t fit your team at all.

Here are 11 prominent upcoming free agents who deserve particular scrutiny as players who will not fit with every team in every scheme, have dings to be worked out, and could fall off the map in the wrong environment.

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Stay or go? Predicting the future for top Saints free agents

New Orleans Saints free agents like Marcus Williams, Trey Hendrickson, and Jameis Winston are set to test the market. Will they stay or go?

Big changes are ahead of the New Orleans Saints, which feels like an understatement when you consider everything piled up in front of them this offseason. Between Drew Brees’ likely retirement, a dearth of draft picks, and a plummeting salary cap, it might be tough for the Saints to remain competitive in pursuit of another NFC South title.

But they’ve hurdled challenges before. And it’s a safe bet that they’ll find ways to maneuver the cap and target key rookies while keeping their core intact. That begins with re-signing free agents, which is easier said than done. Let’s take a quick look at the biggest names on their list and predict who stays and who leaves for greener pastures.

Where do Saints players rank on top 2021 free agents lists?

New Orleans Saints free agents like Trey Hendrickson, Marcus Williams, and Jameis Winston were ranked wildly different among their peers.

Which of their own free agents should the New Orleans Saints prioritize in signing? Is it longtime starting free safety Marcus Williams, surprising sack leader Trey Hendrickson, or Jameis Winston, who plays the most important position of them all? It’s unclear how teams around the NFL have evaluated those players, much less for the Saints themselves.

There’s some value in looking to media rankings of all available players. There isn’t a ton of value, sure, given how wildly each outlet approaches the task; some analysts are better informed than others, positions are valued differently, and they don’t even all rank the same number of players (50-strong lists were most common, while the team at Pro Football Focus went all the way up to 200).

Still, let’s take a look at how the Saints free agents have been ranked, ordered from highest average placement to lowest:

Will the franchise tag be an option for Saints free agents Trey Hendrickson, Marcus Williams?

The franchise tag window is open, but will the Saints consider (or be able to) issuing it to free agents Trey Hendrickson, Marcus Williams?

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It’s been a while since the New Orleans Saints have used the franchise tag to lock in a pending free agent. They’ve issued it just three times since 2007: on defensive end Charles Grant; again in 2012, on quarterback Drew Brees; and most infamously in 2014, for tight end Jimmy Graham (whose position was defined during a dramatic arbitration hearing). Feb. 23 marks the opening of the franchise tag window, which closes March 9.

The Saints have run tight against the salary cap in the years since and, frankly, haven’t had many free agents worth issuing the franchise tag to. But circumstances are different in 2021. Several key defenders are set to hit the market, losses which would be tough for New Orleans to recover from — it sure feels like either the team’s sack leader, Trey Hendrickson, or every-down safety Marcus Williams are on the way out.

Maybe things would be different if the salary cap had continued to climb year over year, but the COVID-19 pandemic hit the NFL just like every other industry, and now the cap is depressing. It’ll go no lower than $180 million, but that’s still an $18.2 million pitfall for the Saints to overcome. While issuing the franchise tag to Hendrickson or Williams would buy some time for the Saints to negotiate a long-term deal (or use another team’s interest to set a market value for the player), the hefty, fully-guaranteed salary it brings with it might make that untenable.

So a big part of figuring this out hinges on what those current-year cap hits would look like. Over the Cap estimates the franchise tag for defensive ends like Hendrickson at $17,752,000, which the Saints won’t be willing to tie up, even in the short term. However, the number for safeties is much more affordable at just $11,196,000, so maybe they consider it for Williams.

And it’s possible they look at the transition tag instead. It functions the same way as the franchise tag, but at a lower cost, and with a big caveat: if the player is offered a contract with another team and the Saints don’t match it, New Orleans receives no compensation for the loss. OTC’s estimates for the defensive ends transition tag is $14,811,000, while safeties are set at $9,550,000. We won’t know for certain what these values look like until the NFL makes it official, but it’s an educated guess.

But with the Saints currently standing at almost $68.2 million over the projected salary cap, you have to think they won’t be in position to eat a salary cap hit like that for either Hendrickson or Williams. They’re focused just on getting cap-compliant, and adding a double-digit figure like that into the mix would make for a tough barrier to hurdle. The more realistic outcome may be for the Saints to explore contract extensions with both players, but given their on-field success, meeting at the right price point might be elusive.

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Will the franchise tag be an option for Saints free agents Trey Hendrickson, Marcus Williams?

The franchise tag window is open, but will the Saints consider (or be able to) issuing it to free agents Trey Hendrickson, Marcus Williams?

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It’s been a while since the New Orleans Saints have used the franchise tag to lock in a pending free agent. They’ve issued it just three times since 2007: on defensive end Charles Grant; again in 2012, on quarterback Drew Brees; and most infamously in 2014, for tight end Jimmy Graham (whose position was defined during a dramatic arbitration hearing). Feb. 23 marks the opening of the franchise tag window, which closes March 9.

The Saints have run tight against the salary cap in the years since and, frankly, haven’t had many free agents worth issuing the franchise tag to. But circumstances are different in 2021. Several key defenders are set to hit the market, losses which would be tough for New Orleans to recover from — it sure feels like either the team’s sack leader, Trey Hendrickson, or every-down safety Marcus Williams are on the way out.

Maybe things would be different if the salary cap had continued to climb year over year, but the COVID-19 pandemic hit the NFL just like every other industry, and now the cap is depressing. It’ll go no lower than $180 million, but that’s still an $18.2 million pitfall for the Saints to overcome. While issuing the franchise tag to Hendrickson or Williams would buy some time for the Saints to negotiate a long-term deal (or use another team’s interest to set a market value for the player), the hefty, fully-guaranteed salary it brings with it might make that untenable.

So a big part of figuring this out hinges on what those current-year cap hits would look like. Over the Cap estimates the franchise tag for defensive ends like Hendrickson at $17,752,000, which the Saints won’t be willing to tie up, even in the short term. However, the number for safeties is much more affordable at just $11,196,000, so maybe they consider it for Williams.

And it’s possible they look at the transition tag instead. It functions the same way as the franchise tag, but at a lower cost, and with a big caveat: if the player is offered a contract with another team and the Saints don’t match it, New Orleans receives no compensation for the loss. OTC’s estimates for the defensive ends transition tag is $14,811,000, while safeties are set at $9,550,000. We won’t know for certain what these values look like until the NFL makes it official, but it’s an educated guess.

But with the Saints currently standing at almost $68.2 million over the projected salary cap, you have to think they won’t be in position to eat a salary cap hit like that for either Hendrickson or Williams. They’re focused just on getting cap-compliant, and adding a double-digit figure like that into the mix would make for a tough barrier to hurdle. The more realistic outcome may be for the Saints to explore contract extensions with both players, but given their on-field success, meeting at the right price point might be elusive.

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