Latest news makes the Indianapolis Colts’ missing out on star pass rusher Trey Hendrickson hurt even more
The Colts not landing Trey Hendrikson already stings, but the latest update makes it even worse.
The Indianapolis Colts have a massive need at pass rush, and a former Cincinnati Bengals star pass rusher made the most sense to fill it.
Unfortunately, he is now off the board after landing a four-year, $112 million contract with the Baltimore Ravens. If that didn’t hurt the Colts enough already, the latest update from Ian Rapoport on the subject made it even worse.
Before the absolutely insane decision the Ravens made to back out of their agreed-upon deal with the Las Vegas Raiders to trade for Maxx Crosby, the Colts were in the “pole position” to land Hendrickson.
Colts made a strong push for Trey Hendrickson, but the Ravens’ Maxx Crosby fiasco changed everything
It’s been a pretty quiet free agency for the Colts so far, as they’ve only added one outside free agent, and even that move wasn’t for a starter but for depth on their defensive line, signing Arden Key. Rapoport shared today that before the Crosby deal was canceled, the Colts were in the pole position to land Hendrickson.
The Colts and Hendrickson have been connected for over a year now, as the team has been interested in reuniting defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo with his former star pass rusher from their time together with the Bengals from 2021 to 2024. People will view this as a swing and a miss for the Colts, which is technically true, but I do think there is more nuance that is required to react to this news properly.
I think the Colts were in a good position for Hendrickson because his market wasn’t where he wanted it to be. He always preferred a long-term contract that paid him nearly $30 million a year. Before the Ravens got involved, I don’t think he would have gotten that price tag this offseason. Which would have led him to take a short-term deal, most likely a one-year contract, to try and prove to teams he can still be a top pass rusher and then cash in next offseason.
If the Ravens don’t back out of their trade for Crosby, I believe Hendrickson would have signed with the Colts on a short-term contract. Giving Hendrickson a prove-it deal and drastically improving the outlook of Indy’s pass rush for next season.
It’s hard to blame the Colts for not wanting to give a 31-year-old pass rusher who only played seven games due to injury a four-year, $112 million contract like Baltimore elected to do. Being the bridesmaid and never the bride with a star free-agent pass rusher isn’t new territory for the Colts, which only adds to the frustration.
Remember when Danielle Hunter was a free agent in 2023, and the Colts made an aggressive push to sign him, but in the end, he was offered the chance to return to the state he graduated from high school in, Texas, to join the Colts AFC South rivals, the Houston Texans. The Colts can’t help that a hometown team essentially for Hunter got involved and matched their offer, but coming in second isn’t much better than not being involved in the market at all.
In the end, the Colts didn’t add the star pass rusher they were after, and they will have to find a way to better respond to this bump in the road (missing on Hendrickson) than they did with Hunter in 2023.
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