The San Francisco 49ers are expected to monitor every situation involving a potential pass-rushing addition this offseason. That includes the status of veteran edge rusher Trey Hendrickson, who appears set to hit the open market after five seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals.
During an appearance on Bay Area radio station KNBR, Matt Barrows of The Athletic said the 49ers are likely to be among the teams keeping a close eye on Hendrickson's situation.
"As far as Trey Hendrickson, they are going to be one of the teams that at the very least is in the conversation, they're monitoring the situation," Barrows said, via KNBR. "... he's only a year removed from leading the league in sacks, his market will be pretty good."
San Francisco is also expected to show interest in Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby. However, acquiring Crosby would likely require a significant trade package, complicating matters for the 49ers.
"Maxx Crosby is going to get a lot of attention, there could be as many as 20 teams in that," Barrows said. "... it could be a situation where the compensation gets out of hand, the 49ers can't match, they don't have a great first-round pick."
Matt Barrows on a potential 49ers pursuit of Trey Hendrickson and Maxx Crosby??
"As far as Trey Hendrickson, they are going to be one of the teams that at the very least is in the conversation, they're monitoring the situation... he's only a year removed from leading the league… pic.twitter.com/fl3H1U3khF
— KNBR (@KNBR) March 5, 2026
The New Orleans Saints originally selected Hendrickson out of Florida Atlantic in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft. In 117 career games (88 starts), Hendrickson has recorded 236 tackles, 81 sacks, 16 passes defensed, and 15 forced fumbles.
Hendrickson (6-4, 265) was limited to seven games in 2025 due to injury, finishing the season with four sacks—his lowest total since 2018. However, Hendrickson entered last season coming off back-to-back 17.5-sack campaigns and has recorded at least 13.5 sacks in four of the past six seasons, showing that he can still be a pass-rushing force for an NFL defense.
San Francisco's defense finished with an NFL-low 20 total sacks in 2025.
According to Spotrac, Hendrickson's projected market value is approximately $25.4 million per year, with the salary-cap-tracking site estimating he could command a two-year deal worth around $50.9 million.