FRISCO - They keep writing it.
So, increasingly sheepishly, we keep asking about it.
And, the Dallas Cowboys' answer to the Trey Hendrickson question remains the same.
Bengals All-Pro edge rusher Trey Hendrickson wants out of Cincinnati and has been given permission to talk to other clubs as he seeks a trade.
The 2024 NFL sack leader, now bitter and angry as he's accusing the Bengals front office of lying to him, is talking openly about a farewell.
According to one national insider, the Dallas Cowboys are talking about Hendrickson, too.
Hendrickson told ESPN he has mixed emotions about leaving Cincinnati amid this controversy as the notoriously frugal Bengals struggle to find a way to pay him market value, which now figures to be in the range of $30 million per year for a premium pass-rusher.
Is Dallas one of those options? We've been told the Cowboys — even with $32 million in available cap room — probably don't have that $32 million earmarked for a second pass-rusher, with the negotiations toward a record-setting contract extension for Micah Parsons on the front burner.
So we asked. And the answer indicates that at least the Jones-led front office discussed the idea here inside The Star.
And along those same lines, it seems national NFL insider Josina Anderson has checked in with somebody here, too, to take Dallas' temperature on the idea.
Anderson's nugget? "Sounds to me like the current amount Trey Hendrickson is seeking is beyond what the Dallas Cowboys would want to spend for a player of his level," she writes, "based on what I'm hearing."
The message is sound. The response is clear.
Dallas' isn't in on Hendrickson.
Nevertheless, the "predictions" keep on coming. The latest? LWOS believes the Dallas Cowboys could be a realistic landing spot.
They write, "The Dallas Cowboys have been stacking up on talent defensively ever since they hired new defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus. ... The hope is that they can extend Parsons, but it would be interesting to see if Dallas could one day get Hendrickson to boost them to a well-rounded defensive line."
Well, "interesting" is true.
Last year, Hendrickson played in all 17 games and totaled 46 tackles, 17.5 sacks, and 19 tackles for loss. He earned his fourth straight Pro Bowl berth, as well as first-team All-Pro honors. ... and remember, he got 17.5 sacks the year before, too.
Hendrickson earned a standout 88.1 Pro Football Focus grade in 2024. So the attraction — for every team — exists in a vacuum. But now? The Bengals are trying contend. He's their best defensive player. And trading him for a draft pick doesn't help them.
All of which means that Hendrickson might be walking out that Cincy door ... while not walking into a door here at The Star.
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