Bears can’t afford to repeat past mistakes as buzz grows around a top free agent already being linked to Chicago
The name Trey Hendrickson is starting to heat up in Chicago, but would it be a good idea for the Bears to make a splash signing?
The Chicago Bears are ready to dive headfirst into the upcoming offseason and turn the page after a successful first season under head coach Ben Johnson.
While this team had immediate success last season under the new staff, the organization fell short of the championship-level expectations and everyone is determined to make the necessary adjustments to get this team over the hump and into Super Bowl contention.
To do so, Johnson and general manager Ryan Poles will have a pivotal offseason ahead. It’s clear which areas need to be addressed, and which areas could be improved, but the Bears need to be smart with the decisions the organization makes over the next few months. So, let’s go ahead and break down the top name already being linked to Chicago.
PFF views Chicago as the best landing spot for DE Trey Hendrickson
It’s clear the Bears need some serious improvements on the defensive line and two top names are already being mentioned by the fanbase to give the team an alpha player off the edge: Maxx Crosby and Trey Hendrickson. Crosby, truthfully, is wishful thinking. Hendrickson, however, is certainly possible and something the Bears could pull off.
Last Thursday, Pro Football Focus analyst Mason Cameron listed Chicago as the best landing spot for Hendrickson given the team’s need and Hendrickson’s connection to Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, who helped draft Hendrickson to the New Orleans Saints back in 2017.
The four-time Pro Bowler is expected to be the top pass rusher on the market this offseason and with that kind of interest-level, there’s going to be pros and cons for any team looking to sign him.
Pros for signing Trey Hendrickson
For starters, the Bears can simply get him off the open market, something the Bears can’t do with players such as Crosby, that would require a trade to bring them to Chicago. Speaking with the media last week, Poles made it clear that the team would avoid any rash decisions and “panic” buying.
“I think when you – and we see it across the league – you panic and you want to do crazy things, that everyone else wants you to do, it leads to some situations that you can’t get out of,” Poles explained. “We want to stay flexible, we want to stay open-minded, we want to stay committed to building this team the right way, because I think that’s the best way to sustain success.”
Going after a top free agent is a great way to stay flexible, while adding a solid veteran player to the roster, without having to give up any future draft picks.
Reuniting Hendrickson in Allen’s scheme is certainly a plus too. Hendrickson spent the first four seasons of his career playing under Allen, totaling 20.0 sacks and 113 pressures. After a 13.5 sack season in 2020, Hendrickson decided to hit the market and strike a big contract with the Cincinnati Bengals and continued to blossom into one of the league’s top pass rushers.
Cons with signing Trey Hendrickson
As good as Hendrickson could be for the Bears as a boost off the edge reuniting with Allen, it still comes with a cost and with some serious risk involved.
Hendrickson just turned 31-years-old and is expected to earn over $25 million per year on the open market. That alone is a risky play for any team, but especially the Bears, a team littered with high-priced veterans. It’s a mistake the team made last offseason with defensive tackle Grady Jarrett.
And that’s not even taking into account the fact that Hendrickson played just seven games during the 2025 season with the Bengals. For more insight on his previous season and free agency outlook, I spoke with A to Z Sports Cincinnati beat writer John Sheeran.
“Following a contentious offseason in which the Bengals wanted Hendrickson to be an elite sack artist yet again without giving him appropriate security beyond this season, Hendrickson eventually accepted his pay raise and started the season rushing the passer at his usual rate. He was eighth in PFF’s Pass Rush Win Rate metric, and 13th in total pressures through Week 5 despite Cincinnati trailing a good amount for most of that stretch. He only rushed the passer 30 more times for the rest of the season right before and after his core muscle injury, but when he was himself, he was still producing. What he does from here depends on how much his injury will impact him as he treks through his early 30s.”
Final Thoughts
Clearly, there’s some risk involved here from three different factors: price, age, and injury. Signing Hendrickson would be a mistake the Bears can’t afford to repeat right now.
The Bears already have a decent four-man rotation off the edge under contract next season in Montez Sweat, Austin Booker, Dayo Odeyingbo, and Shemar Turner. It’s something Poles brought up last week and he’s eager to see how Odeyingbo and Turner look post-injury. Plus, the team’s biggest need is easily on the interior of the defensive line.
This isn’t the offseason to go big game hunting and hurt the team down the road. The Bears’ overhaul needs to be done through the draft and with low-cost free agent additions, not a massive splash.
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