Trey Hendrickson was an absolute stud for the Cincinnati Bengals last season. On a unit that was void of production other than Hendrickson, the star defensive end carried most of the Bengals pass-rushing success on his shoulders.

He ended the season with a league-high 17.5 sacks, including a pivotal 3.5 sacks in a key Week 18 win to keep the team’s playoff hopes alive. Hendrickson has had back-to-back seasons of 17.5 sacks, so he knows a thing or two about getting to the quarterback.

The 30-year-old might be looking for one more big-time contract before he sunsets his career, and he is in an interesting position within the defensive end market.

If the Bengals don’t extend Hendrickson while looking to wrap their money up in the team’s dynamic offensive weapons, they could be looking to gain some young talent before he hits the market.

“As one league source predicts, ‘Maxx, Myles and Trey will all be tied up in [trade] talks.’ The expectation is Crosby and Hendrickson will get strong trade interest if their respective teams decide to entertain calls. But teams must figure out this edge rush market, either by proactively signing their own players to high-end money or finding a way to get younger and cheaper at the position,” Fowler wrote at ESPN.

Hendrickson has one year left on his contract and will have a $15.8 million base contract and an $18.7 million cap hit. He will become an unrestricted free agent if he doesn’t get an extension agreement with the Bengals.

Cincinnati doesn’t have much hope at the position despite using a good chunk of draft capital on players like Myles Murphy and Joseph Ossai. That said, hopefully, they retain their star, but if their negotiations with other stars tell us much, one shouldn’t hold their breath that a deal is done sooner rather than later.