The San Francisco 49ers turned heads all across the country this week when they made Brock Purdy one of the wealthiest players in league history, locking their quarterback down with a $265 million deal that'll be debated for years to come.
They have some clear moves to make now, though the success of this team in 2025 will largely come down to the performance of the defense. With Purdy now taking up a large portion of the cap, he'll need help on both sides of the ball.
Fortunately for the 49ers, a superstar defensive end is now available as the Cincinnati Bengals have completely fumbled contract discussions with All-Pro Trey Hendrickson. One new projected trade sees San Francisco finally landing a perfect running mate for Nick Bosa.
49ers Land All-Pro DE Trey Hendrickson in Major Projected Trade
In this projected move, San Francisco lands Hendrickson and a sixth-round selection in next year's draft in exchange for a second-rounder and two fourth-round picks. The 49ers have three fourth-rounders in 2026 thanks to the compensatory formula for Aaron Banks and Charvarius Ward, so they'd still have one remaining in their original selection should this be the deal.
The Bengals don't really have much leverage. Cheap ownership has plagued the organization for years, and Hendrickson isn't happy.
"Rather than using collaboration to get us to a point to bring me home to the team, THEY are no longer communicating," Hendrickson wrote on X. "I have been eagerly awaiting a resolution of this situation, but that’s hard to do when there is no discussion and an evident lack of interest in reaching mutual goals."
To land a player of this caliber for a few draft picks, two of which came essentially as a gift, would be a true steal for San Francisco. Hendrickson has 17.5 sacks in each of the last two seasons and would immediately give the 49ers one of the league's best defensive lines yet again.
He wants a contract extension and general manager John Lynch would need to sort that part of things out, but Hendrickson is the exact kind of player you can build your defense around. To pair him with someone like Bosa would make San Francisco Super Bowl contenders yet again and provide Purdy some much-needed relief.
If this kind of trade is on the table, the 49ers simply must make it.