When the offseason first started Atlanta fans had dreams of landing Myles Garrett, Maxx Crosby, or Trey Hendrickson. All three star pass rushers were stuck on struggling teams and appeared to have at least a level of discontent. Both Crosby and Garrett were quickly locked in with their respective teams, offering massive extensions. It appeared that Hendrickson was following this same path before recent comments have the veteran's future once again in question.
The two sides are still in a stalemate as they attempt to find a way to lock up Hendrickson on the heels of massive extensions for receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Whether or not that is going to happen appears to once again be in question for the two sides.
Could Trey Hendrickson still be a possible trade target to fix Atlanta's pass rush?
In truth, any hopes of acquiring Hendrickson are on life support, even with the recent discontent. The Bengals aren't an organization that typically makes splashy trades. Not only this, but the franchise is under pressure from franchise quarterback Joe Burrow to retain their stars. The team isn't likely to let Hendrickson walk away and still has a year's worth of control to figure out a deal.
Even if it somehow fell through, Atlanta would still have to win a bidding war that is likely to require multiple early picks. After this, the team that landed Hendrickson would have to be willing to meet the pass rusher's demands at one of the highest-paid positions in the league.
The most likely way this plays out remains the Falcons drafting a pass rusher and hoping to develop their own star. Trey Hendrickson is going to remain with the Bengals, barring things growing uglier in Cincinnati. The franchise simply cannot afford to let a player with the defender's level of impact to walk away.