Trey Hendrickson Reportedly Agrees To 4-year, $112 Million Contract With Ravens Following Failed Maxx Crosby Trade

Veteran defensive end Trey Hendrickson has reportedly agreed to a four-year, $112 million contract with Baltimore Ravens as a free agent Wednesday, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. 

The reported move comes after the Ravens backed out of a trade for Las Vegas Raiders star Maxx Crosby on Tuesday night. 

Hendrickson can make up to $120 million with incentives. He will receive an additional $500,000 for getting to eight, 10, 12 and 14 sacks per season. Hendrickson is guaranteed $60 million as part of the deal, per ESPN.

The circumstances surrounding Hendrickson's signing should result in some questions around the league. The reported signing comes just hours after the Ravens backed out of a trade for Crosby reportedly due to poor medicals. That decision was questioned by some around the league, as it was well known Crosby was coming off surgery at the time of the trade. Crosby's own surgeon went to bat for his patient Wednesday, saying Crosby is "doing very well" in his rehab. 

The timing of Hendrickson's deal could suggest the Ravens panicked after missing out on Crosby, opting to instead go all-in on Hendrickson. But the fact that the deal came together so quickly could invite speculation the Ravens had buyer's remorse on giving up two first-round picks for Crosby, and saw Hendrickson as a more desirable option. Proving that was the case, however, would be difficult. 

There was some speculation that the Bengals might place the franchise tag on Hendrickson ahead of the league's March 3 deadline. Instead, he hit the free-agent market as one of the league's most-prized players available. While it took him a few days, he finally earned the long-term contract he was seeking. 

Leading up to the 2025 season, Hendrickson was embattled in contract negotiations with the Cincinnati Bengals after it became clear to the team that he wasn’t going to play the season on the final year of his contract, which would have earned him $16 million. He sat out of training camp and offseason workouts while the two sides worked out a resolution.

He led the league with 17.5 sacks in 2024, earning first-team All-Pro honors and coming in second place for Defensive Player of the Year voting. Between the 2023 and 2024 seasons, Hendrickson led the NFL with 35.0 sacks — 4.5 more than Steelers OLB T.J. Watt, with 30.5 in that span.

In August 2025, the two sides reached a deal to fix that with plenty of time before their season-opener, renegotiating a deal that pushed his salary to nearly $30 million for the season.

The 31-year-old finished his 2025 campaign with 16 tackles and four sacks in seven games, finishing his season on injured reserve after undergoing core muscle surgery. He suffered the injury in Week 6, returned two weeks later before he was eventually shut down for what would be the remainder of the season.

Hendrickson has spent the last five seasons with the Bengals and has led the team in sacks in four of those five seasons as a key fixture of Cincinnati's pass rush. He spent his first four years with the New Orleans Saints before signing a four-year, $60 million contract with Cincinnati in 2021.

The Bengals ranked in the bottom three in points, yards and rushing yards allowed last season. They finished with a 6–11 record.

Hendrickson should make a significant impact with the Ravens in his first year with the team. Baltimore underperformed at 8-9 in 2025, just missing out on the playoffs. Pass rush proved to be a significant area of concern, as the team tied for 30th in the NFL with just 30 sacks last season.