When Cincinnati Bengals superstar Trey Hendrickson announced he wanted a trade, the Indianapolis Colts were almost immediately suggested as one of the best places for him to go. Yet in the months since then, not much has happened - either in Cincinnati or in Indianapolis. It recently appeared that the Colts may have missed their chance to steal Hendrickson away, as the standoff between Hendrickson and the Bengals seemed to have melted as contract talks resumed. Yet there is still some chance that those contract talks will fail, according to recent reports.
Adam Schefter told Pat McAfee that they weren't any further along in contract negotiations, while one executive told the Washington Post that the Bengals are being unreasonable.
"The Bengals & Trey Hendrickson are talking again but they're not any further along..
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) June 18, 2025
I think there's a disagreement over value & there's also a disagreement over the length of the deal..
They can't even find common ground on the length of the deal" ~ @AdamSchefter #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/JGiDciRqnj
Now, Bleacher Report has named Hendrickson as one of the top trade candidates still remaining after the draft - and specifically mentioned the Colts as well.
"The NFL's reigning sacks leader has racked up 17.5 quarterback takedowns in each of the past two seasons. Virtually any team in need of pass-rushing help should be asking about his availability.Kristopher Knox
Two teams that would make a ton of sense are the Indianapolis Colts and the Detroit Lions. Indy lost pass-rusher Dayo Odeyingbo to the Bears in free agency and also happen to employ former Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo."
The question is, what is Chris Ballard waiting for? He already let Germaine Pratt slip through his fingers. The Colts are in desperate need of a strong pass-rusher, and yet since the draft ended, Ballard has done nothing to continue bolstering the roster. He is apparently slipping right back into his old ways, where he takes little action in the offseason and focuses on running it back with the guys he already has.
Sure, there were two really notable signings in the offseason this year, but since then? It's been crickets. And the roster is nowhere near being complete. So what is it going to take for Ballard to take action? This is a do-or-die season if Ballard wants to keep his job, and he doesn't seem to be that motivated to do whatever it takes to make the Colts real contenders again.