Hendrickson was not franchise tagged by the team ahead of Tuesday’s 4 p.m. ET deadline and will hit free agency.

“Thank you for the opportunity to play the game I love at the highest level,” Hendrickson wrote in a goodbye post on Instagram. “I was and always will be proud to have worn the Cincinnati Bengals logo and honour the history behind it.”

Hendrickson’s leaving Cincinnati has been a long time coming after the star pass rusher was permitted to seek a trade before the 2025 season.

Entering the final year of his deal, the 31-year-old skipped all off-season workouts and held out for the beginning of training camp in an effort to either be moved or receive an extension.

But neither came to fruition, and now Hendrickson is on the open market.

A third-round pick by New Orleans in 2017, Hendrickson has blossomed into one of the game’s premier edge rushers since joining the Bengals.

In Cincinnati, he totalled 120 quarterback hits while being named a First-Team All-Pro and making four Pro Bowls, while his 61.0 sacks are the fifth-most over the last five years.

His best season came ahead in 2024 with a league-best 17.5 sacks while finishing second in Defensive Player of the Year voting.

Last season, however, Hendrickson was limited to just seven games due to injury, logging only 4.0 sacks.

Over his career, the defensive end notched 81.0 sacks and 163 QB hits.

The free agency legal-tampering period opens on March 9 at 12 p.m. ET, and the official new year – which is when players can officially sign contracts – begins at 4 p.m. ET on March 11.