Jets interested in DE Trey Hendrickson (Report)

The Jets are reportedly interested in Saints defensive end Trey Hendrickson, who’s set to become an unrestricted free agent.

The Jets need to boost their pass rush. They tied for 20th last year with just 31 sacks and may be parting ways with edge rushers Jordan Jenkins and Tarell Basham.

Luckily, New Orleans’ Trey Hendrickson is set to be on the market, and according to SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano, the Jets are looking to acquire him.

I thought the Jets might be interested, but I get the sense they were not in on Matt Judon. … However, an NFL source said they are pursuing Saints DE Trey Hendrickson, who had 13 1/2 sacks last season. He has several teams in on him. https://t.co/DOJGqWoEma

— Ralph Vacchiano (@RVacchianoSNY) March 15, 2021

Hendrickson could indeed improve a pass rush that, as previously mentioned, struggled last year. The four-year player notched 13.5 sacks and 25 quarterback hits in 2020 — a massive improvement from his 2019 season (4.5 sacks, nine quarterback hits).

Trey’s Spotrac market value carries an average annual salary of around $10 million, a reasonable amount when you consider his on-field success this past year. Given the Jets’ massive cap room number (nearly $70 million as of Monday), the team would definitely be able to afford an acquisition.

Nonetheless, it’s still unconfirmed if Joe Douglas would go through with it, given his preference to build through the draft. Some free-agent moves must be made if you have that amount of cap space though, and considering the Jets defense was weak in 2020, it’s clear they need playmakers on that side of the ball.

According to Josina Anderson of ESPN, the Vikings and Browns are additionally interested in Hendrickson. The former was very weak in the pass-rushing department last season, notching just 23 total sacks throughout the entire year.

My understanding is the #Jets, #Vikings, #Browns have all shown interest in adding #Saints DE Trey Hendrickson, per source. That list is in no particular order.

— IG: JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) March 15, 2021

The Jets are currently allowed to come to an agreement with Hendrickson on a contract. However, they wouldn’t be able to sign a deal until Wednesday when the new league year commences at 4:00 p.m. ET.