The Vikings let Darnold walk in free agency in favor of McCarthy, their top 10 draft pick from a year ago who has never played an NFL snap. McCarthy tore his meniscus last preseason and missed all of his rookie campaign, getting the mental reps as Darnold shined on the field.

If Cincinnati goes back on its promise not to move Hendrickson, here are some teams that make sense for last year's sacks leader.

The Saints have invested in a lot of options to replace Trey Hendrickson without success. Would a reunion make sense with ESPN's top-10 pass rusher?

In ESPN's survey of NFL executives, coaches and scouts ranking the NFL's top 10 edge rushers for 2025, Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson, who led the league in sacks in 2024 with 17.5, didn't appear among the top 5.

Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson has been voted as the No. 78 player in the NFL on the "Top 100 Players of 2022" rankings.

Despite that uncertainty, though, Bengals owner Mike Brown expressed optimism that a deal with Hendrickson will get done. Brown told reporters, " I think it will get done ," in regards to a new deal for Hendrickson. Brown doubled down, saying the team was not looking to trade Hendrickson and is "working on getting [a deal] done."

CINCINNATI — Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson had a record-setting first season with the club, ... He's ranked first in their "top 10 disruptors of 2021" rankings. ...