Trey Hendrickson Signs With Baltimore Ravens on 4-Year, $112M NFL Contract After Maxx Crosby Trade Collapse
Trey Hendrickson got his money — just not from the team anyone expected. The Baltimore Ravens, who dramatically pulled out of a trade for Raiders star Maxx Crosby Tuesday night, pivoted hard and landed Hendrickson on a four-year, $112 million deal Wednesday morning, ending one of the NFL's most exhausting contract sagas and sending the league's most dominant pass rusher straight into the AFC North.
The Crosby Collapse Opens the Door
The sequence of events is impossible to separate from the result. Less than one day after backing out of their deal with the Las Vegas Raiders to acquire Maxx Crosby, the Ravens pivoted directly to Hendrickson.
Crosby reportedly failed his physical, which was required to complete the trade. Sources also noted concerns about his knee during Baltimore's own evaluation process, with a Raiders insider adding that Crosby had struggled during light practices with knee and ankle issues.
Whether Baltimore experienced genuine medical concern or spotted an opportunity when Hendrickson's market proved thinner than expected is a question the organization will never fully answer. The result, though, is that they get a proven sack artist without surrendering two first-round picks.
Contract Details: $112M With Incentives Up to $120M
The deal includes $60 million fully guaranteed and a $20 million signing bonus. Hendrickson can earn an additional $500,000 for each sack threshold he hits — at 8, 10, 12, and 14 sacks per season — pushing the total value to $120 million.
Hendrickson's camp had aimed for $35 million per year and did not find that level of interest during the two-day legal tampering period. The $28 million average annual value on the signed deal falls short of that ask, but delivers the long-term security that Cincinnati refused to provide for five straight seasons.
Five Years of Bengals Drama, Now Done
The Bengals identified a rising superstar in 2021, signing Hendrickson to a four-year, $60 million deal. He posted what was then a career-high 14 sacks as Cincinnati reached the Super Bowl. He then notched 17.5 sacks in both 2023 and 2024 — leading the NFL in the latter — but could never extract a second long-term extension from the front office.
After holding out before last season and eventually signing a one-year restructure worth nearly $30 million, 2025 turned into his worst campaign since joining the team. In seven games, he managed just four sacks before a core muscle injury ended his year.
Hendrickson posted a farewell to Cincinnati on Instagram after the franchise tag deadline passed. "The last 5 years have been filled with Great wins & Tough losses," he wrote, in part.
What Hendrickson Brings to Baltimore
The fit is obvious. Baltimore finished 8-9 in 2025, missing the playoffs. Pass rush was a glaring hole — the Ravens tied for 30th in the NFL with just 30 sacks last season.
Since 2021, Hendrickson has ranked second in the NFL in pressure rate at 13.2 percent and fourth in total sacks with 61. The single-season Ravens franchise sack record belongs to Elvis Dumervil, who had 17 in 2014 — a record Hendrickson is now positioned to challenge.
He must pass a physical before the deal is official, having undergone core muscle surgery in December with a reported six-week recovery window.
The AFC North implications are immediate. Hendrickson spent five seasons trying to beat Lamar Jackson twice a year. Now he gets two cracks at Joe Burrow — and a front-row seat to the rivalry from the other side.
