Commanders’ patience paid off with All-Pro free agent finally hitting the market, but it won’t be easy landing him
The Commanders can finally acquire a top defender they’ve been linked to since last season, but he will have a very strong market in free agency
The NFL legal tampering window period opens up on Monday, March 9th, before free agency officially begins, and the Washington Commanders have to be ready to be aggressive.
The Commanders will be linked to the majority of the top free agents available this offseason, with a roster needing a lot of work and a top-3 salary cap space after recent moves.
League insiders expect the Commanders to be very active with some fireworks, and signing star pass rusher Trey Hendrickson would be a major splash this offseason. There’s a path to landing Hendrickson now that the Bengals have decided not to use the franchise tag on him.
The Commanders could target All-Pro Trey Hendrickson in free agency now
The NFL franchise tag window closed at 4 pm ET, and now teams know which players will actually be available. Many teams had candidates worthy of a franchise tag, including the Cincinnati Bengals, who have decided not to place the franchise tag on Hendrickson, and he’s now finally free.
Hendrickson has been on his way out of Cincinnati since his holdout last offseason, and the Commanders were one of the many teams reported to have checked in on a trade for him. Nothing ended up happening, and Hendrickson returned to the Bengals on a one-year deal. Now, Hendrickson is a free agent next week and finally free to find the contract he has been looking for.
Expect the Commanders to be heavily involved in gauging his market, which will be very strong as the top free agent this offseason.
Should the Commanders participate in a bidding war for Trey Hendrickson?
Hendrickson is now free to go to a team where he can have long-term security, and of course, the money he believes he deserves. 2025 didn’t go according to plan for both the Commanders and Hendrickson, and now both could help the other out next season. Hendrickson only played in seven games after suffering a core muscle injury in week 6 of the season, but he is still a marquee pass rusher in the NFL.
He finished the season with just four sacks, and he’s looking to get back to his 17.5 sack form like he was in 2023 and 2024.
Hendrickson just turned 31, but don’t expect that to impact his market as the top free agent this offseason. He’s projected to make around $22-$26 million per year this offseason, which could go up if a bidding war happens.
The Commanders are in a prime position to swing big on Hendrickson while adding even more players in free agency. EDGE will be a main focus this offseason, as general manager Adam Peters has emphasized heading into the offseason, so don’t be surprised if the Commanders swing on Hendrickson.
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