Not long after the 2024 season ended, the Indianapolis Colts let Gus Bradley go, and brought in Lou Anarumo from the Cincinnati Bengals to serve as defensive coordinator. Though virtually everyone was excited to see Bradley go, there were still some concerns about whether or not Anarumo is the right person to reinvigorate the Colts defense.
Recent comments from Bengals superstar Trey Hendrickson may help allay those fears.
In an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, Hendrickson had high praise for Anarumo, and considering that Hendrickson is an elite level defender in the NFL, that's high praise for sure. "Well, I was blessed to be productive under his scheme, and I think he does a good job of making a very open room, meaning you can talk to him about scheme," he said. "This doesn't necessarily fit to what we think we're going to do to attack him. Very organic. And, you know, he's a leader of elite men."
"Lou Anarumo is a leader of men and he's a great friend to me..
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) February 5, 2025
He's a mentor to me as well and I wish him nothing but the best" ~ Trey Hendrickson #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/oPnhq0ld9d
"He got guys at four and eight to kind of rally behind a cause and continue to win football games," he continued. "And, you know, I love him. He's a great friend to me. He was a mentor to me as well with, kind of, some of the struggles that happen as you become a successful player, and through that, he's been a tremendous mentor, and I wish him nothing but the best."
When McAfee asked him to explain what he meant by struggles, Hendrickson responded, "It was one of those things that, there were some question marks when I signed in Cincinnati originally and, you know, he's always been there and supporting me in every direction that I had to go, and as I continue to grow as a player, to stay humble and to be productive under his defense was special."
There are numerous free agents from the Bengals that Anarumo could decide to target, but unfortunately, Hendrickson is not one of them. He has one year left on his contract, but he is already talking about requesting a trade. Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin admitted that while they want to keep Hendrickson, they're battling the financial side of it, as they also have to contend with Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
"We can't have guys at the top of the payroll in every position, right?" Tobin said. "We'll do what we can. We'll do what we feel is right, and we will try to get Trey re-signed. It's not giving anybody an extension. It's agreeing with somebody on an extension."
Hendrickson's base salary for 2025 is $15.8 million, which is not much money considering how good he is. All things considered, a trade for Hendrickson seems unlikely, but it's not completely out of the realm of possibility. And in the meantime, hearing such high praise for Anarumo is definitely reassuring.