Indianapolis Colts fans have been pleasantly surprised by how dominant the team has been so far in 2025. The Colts' 6-1 record has them as absolute buyers ahead of the trade deadline, and some fans might have been getting their hopes up that Trey Hendrickson could have been an option for this team to bring in.
After all, Hendrickson used to play for Lou Anarumo when he was the Bengals' defensive coordinator. With Anarumo now in Indianapolis in the same role, wouldn't a reunion make perfect sense?
Even though Hendrickson made Matt Bowen and Jeremy Fowler of ESPN's list of possible trade candidates, Fowler put the chances of Hendrickson being traded at a mere 20%. That means that, even though there's the Anarumo connection, this trade probably isn't happening.
"Hendrickson would be far and away the most attractive trade target if Cincinnati entertains a deal. However, a team source told ESPN, as reported Oct. 14, that the Bengals have no plans to trade the former All-Pro. The interest will be there regardless, and San Francisco in particular considers Hendrickson an ideal fit. The Bengals' record is 3-4 and the team is in the thick of the AFC North race, all the more reason to keep its best defensive player."
Trey Hendrickson probably won't be on the trade block for Colts
None of this is exactly breaking news for Colts fans. The Bengals aren't exactly a team that makes big trades, and considering the contract drama they had with Hendrickson entering the season, to go through all of that and then promptly trade him is very un-Bengals-like.
Also, as Fowler mentioned, even at 3-4, the Bengals have a good shot to still win their division due to the Ravens' collapse and the Browns being the Browns. Their only competition is the Steelers, who, despite looking competitive, still tend to get in their own way more often than not.
If the Bengals can just stay afloat in that race, they'll hang onto their players in the hopes that Joe Burrow can return late in the year and help them go on a run.
There's no doubt that Hendrickson would be a massive addition to this Colts defense. He had back-to-back seasons of 17.5 sacks and has four sacks through six games already this year. Throw in that he and Anarumo are quite familiar with one another, and yeah, this would be a match made in heaven.
Unfortunately, it's probably not in the cards for the Colts. They'll have to look elsewhere for a game-changing pass-rusher.