Over the last few weeks, there's been enough chatter pointing the San Francisco 49ers in the direction of Las Vegas Raiders All-Pro edge rusher Maxx Crosby, and understandably so.
However, according to Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer, the Niners may lose out on a (likely) soon Crosby trade, meaning general manager John Lynch will ultimately have to explore some contingency plans to beef up what was the NFL's worst pass rush a season ago.
Thankfully, there might be a golden contingency plan in the works.
According to NBC Sports' Matthew Berry, the Cincinnati Bengals have no intention of retaining veteran defensive end Trey Hendrickson after contract extension talks wholly stalled last year, meaning he'll head to the free-agent market this month.
Berry wrote after the NFL Combine:
"...the Bengals having zero interest in keeping Trey Hendrickson. They may make some noises about keeping him for PR purposes but there is no love lost between the two sides, and he’ll be playing elsewhere next year."
Hendrickson, 31 years old, had his 2025 campaign derailed by injuries that limited him to just four sacks over seven games. However, having posted back-to-back 17.5-sack efforts in each of the previous two years, it's safe to say he's still a marquee player.
And this wouldn't be the first time his name has come up in possible free-agent targets for San Francisco.
Now, the question facing the 49ers is just how much they want to open up the pocketbook for a player of Hendrickson's ilk. There's no questioning he'd be an impact pass-rusher to pair with Nick Bosa, aiming to revamp the Niners' previously inept pass rush.
But the cost might be a bit too uncomfortable for a cap-conscious Lynch, especially if a lucrative bidding war develops.
However, if other teams remain focused on adding Crosby, San Francisco might be able to sneak in this contingency plan when the league new year opens up on March 11.