Latest free agency intel suggests the Dallas Cowboys still have a legit shot at signing DE Trey Hendrickson
The Dallas Cowboys were known to be interested in Trey Hendrickson. Thanks to a slow-moving market for him, it could still happen.
The Dallas Cowboys have yet to make a splash worthy of their chosen motto for this year’s free agency: Bust the budget.
But they still have time, and several opportunities, to make one. But none would be bigger than signing the top defensive free agent of the year, DE Trey Hendrickson. Over 24 hours into the NFL’s two-day negotiation period, Hendrickson remains unsigned.
And the good news? His price may be dropping.
Cowboys have a shot at signing Hendrickson at a discount
It sure seems like the biggest reason why Hendrickson hasn’t landed with an NFL team is that he didn’t find the market he was hoping for.
According to NFL insider Jonathan Jones from CBS, multiple teams around the league are describing a big gap between Hendrickson’s asking price and their offers.
“As of this morning, there were teams I spoke with who said the gap between what he wanted and what they were willing to pay was close to $10 million per year,” Jones wrote on a social media post.
If this keeps up, Hendrickson won’t have a choice but to drop his asking price. Perhaps that’s exactly what the Cowboys need to get a deal done, considering they’re not a front office prone to paying top dollar for free agents (Dallas already missed on multiple linebackers they offered deals to).
Earlier in the month, reports indicated the Cowboys planned to pivot to Hendrickson if a trade for Maxx Crosby didn’t come to fruition. Since then, they traded fir EDGE Rashan Gary from the Green Bay Packers.
Hendrickson’s price dropping has a downside
While a declining price tag for Hendrickson bodes well for the Cowboys’ chances of signing him, it naturally means the same for other NFL teams.
The challenge for the Jerry Jones-led front office will be finding a sweet spot. How much are they willing to wait before less needy teams jump in? At some point, the Cowboys have to do some budget busting if they want to fix one of the worst defenses in the NFL.
With Hendrickson being one of their last options to do so, they can’t be overly patient.
Why is Hendrickson’s price dropping?
No one truly knows but the biggest item has to be Hendrickson is coming off a hip/back injury at 31 years old. No matter the name, no matter the caliber of a player, that will always be an issue when it comes to signing a blockbuster deal in the NFL.
Additionally, the main reason why the Bengals and Hendrickson never saw eye to eye on long-term contract negotiations that lasted multiple years is that he wanted guarantees beyond Year 1. It may be tough to get that in a new team following his 2025 injury.
Last but not least, multiple big edge rusher signings have already happened this week. That means less EDGE-needy teams driving his price up.
For now, Hendrickson remains atop this year’s available free agents. We’ll see who budges first, and most importantly, if it will be the Cowboys.
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