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Trey Hendrickson looks on before the Bengals game against the Vikings on September 21, 2025.

On Monday September 22, 2025, the San Francisco 49ers got the horrible news that superstar defensive end Nick Bosa will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL, and 49ers media members and fans are immediately calling for the Niners to make a trade to help weather Bosa’s absence.

The most popular name people are tossing around is that of Cincinnati Bengals superstar DE Trey Hendrickson.

Hendrickson was an All-Pro defensive end for the Bengals last season, and led the NFL with 17.5 sacks.

Trey Hendrickson and the Bengals had a long, hotly contested contract dispute during the offseason, and that dispute did not end in a long-term resolution. He is only under contract with the Bengals for the remainder of the season, which means the Bengals could seek to move on from him before he hits free agency after the season.

Before the contract situation in Cincy was resolved, the 49ers were heavily rumored as a potential trade partner for Hendrickson all offseason.

What Would The 49ers Need To Give Up? 

Insiders and fans are divided on what the 49ers would need to part with in order to acquire Trey Hendrickson.

Popular 49ers creator @Coach_Yac pitched that the 49ers should trade a 2026 third and 2026 fourth round pick for Hendrickson.

In an article by Niner Noise, writer Nick San Miguel pitched a trade involving the 49ers sending quarterback Mac Jones to Cincinnati along with draft picks in exchange for Hendrickson.

Bengals starting quarterback Joe Burrow could miss most, if not all, of the rest of the regular season due to a turf toe injury. Backup Jake Browning played poorly in his first start of the season, leading many to believe the Bengals need a new quarterback to save their season.

But should the 49ers even be willing to part with Mac Jones? He has filled in for an injured Brock Purdy and won both of his first two games. Behind Jones, the 49ers don’t have a rostered third stringer who has ever even taken an NFL snap.

If the Bosa injury reinforces anything for San Francisco, it’s that anyone on the roster could seemingly get injured at any time. Purdy may be returning soon, but if he goes down with injury again late in the season, the 49ers need an insurance policy like Jones to weather the storm.

Plus, Jones clearly gets along with the rest of the 49ers quarterback room. He seems to be a good match for the San Francisco organization.

Draft picks and/or a defensive player seem like a more likely package if the 49ers try to acquire Henderson.

What Could Have Been For Bosa

Bosa was off to a great start to the 2025 season.

Through 2.5 games before his injury against the Arizona Cardinals, Bosa racked up a whopping 17 tackles (9 solo) including 4 tackles for loss and 2 sacks. He also already had 2 forced fumbles.

He was on pace to set career highs in tackles and forced fumbles, and if he kept it up and stayed healthy, he also probably would have had his highest sack total since he won Defensive Player of the Year in 2022.

Hendrickson hasn’t had nearly the same year Bosa was having, but he does also have 2 sacks, has more QB hits than Bosa (6) and also a pass breakup to his name.

Interestingly enough, another 49ers DE, Bryce Huff, is actually having a more similar season statistically to Hendrickson.

Could Huff step up and be a superstar in Bosa’s absence? What about the rookie Mykel Williams?

What do you think the 49ers should do to ease the loss of Nick Bosa, 49ers fans?

Ethan Inman is a sports journalist covering the San Francisco 49ers, San Francisco Giants and Las Vegas Raiders for heavy.com. He also co-hosts a college football podcast for The Voice of College Football, and writes about the NBA and MLB. He has previously covered the USC Trojans, the NHL, college baseball, and the intersection of sports and popular culture for other publications. He is based in the greater Los Angeles area. More about Ethan Inman

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