The Buffalo Bills have reportedly “reached out” to defensive end Trey Hendrickson, according to a source shared with Ryan Talbot. Often viewed as one of the top pass rushers in today’s NFL, Henrickson has not had early success in free agency, despite interest from quite a few teams.
Hendrickson, now 31, is looking for a big payday, with some unconfirmed reports suggesting around or even more than $30 million per season. If true, that likely takes One Bills Drive out of the race, thanks to their salary cap challenges. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that Hendricks is unwilling to budge on his salary demands and will not accept a discounted deal at this time.
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As reported by Jonathan Jones, the teams he spoke with stated that “the gap between what (Hendrickson) wanted and what they were willing to pay was close to $10 million a year.” That’s a sizable gap, to be sure, and perhaps well above what Buffalo could responsibly achieve to land a pass rusher who will be 32 by the end of 2026.
Still, not reaching out to Hendrickson would seem like bad practice for president of football operations/general manager Brandon Beane, who has said in the past that he will always keep tabs on talented players. Beyond concerns about the free agent contract, Hendrickson is coming off a season in which he played in just seven games and suffered a back injury that required surgery.
Would a one-year tryout deal entice Hendrickson enough to join quarterback Josh Allen in the locker room? Well, if you’re looking for a reason to believe it’s possible, there’s this: