Trey Hendrickson excited for fresh start with Ravens, says he’s in a ‘win-now window’

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — It’s been a long week for Baltimore Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta. He’s been front and center as the organization deals with the fallout of backing out of the Maxx Crosby deal with the Las Vegas Raiders.

He’s watched 10 Ravens leave the organization and sign elsewhere. He’s brought in five new players, including the guy seated to his right Friday morning during a news conference at the Under Armour Performance Center.

Yet, as new Ravens edge rusher Trey Hendrickson spoke, DeCosta managed a wide grin.

“I’m excited to go to OTAs. I’m excited to be at training camp. I’m a football player,” Hendrickson said, spurring the smile from DeCosta. “I like to put my hand in the dirt. I like the smell of the grass. I like my cleats sweaty when I come in from a hard training camp practice. That’s what I built my brand on.”

The Ravens, who pivoted quickly from the failed Crosby deal to sign the former Cincinnati Bengals pass rusher to a four-year, $112 million deal, believe Hendrickson will fit in extremely well. The Ravens had only 30 sacks last season. Only two NFL teams had fewer. They also have had a maddening habit in recent years of blowing big leads and struggling to finish games.

Enter the 31-year-old Hendrickson, who has 81 career sacks and 15 forced fumbles. It was not an accident that head coach Jesse Minter pointed out in his opening statement that only the Houston Texans’ Danielle Hunter has more fourth-quarter sacks since 2021 than Hendrickson.

“A game wrecker as a pass rusher. A game wrecker as a run defender. One of the most dominant players in the National Football League,” Minter said of Hendrickson. “When we talk about being able to have a closer mentality and finish games and dominate in the fourth quarter, Trey is the epitome of that with how he’s played the last four or five years.”

The Ravens’ decision to back out of the Crosby deal and sign Hendrickson has drawn plenty of criticism from around the league, with some questioning whether Baltimore got cold feet about trading two first-round picks. At the same time, a pass rusher like Hendrickson was available and looking to sign with a contender.

However, DeCosta maintains that the Ravens already had interest in Hendrickson before Crosby was in the team’s building Tuesday for a physical. Hendrickson has said he initially believed he could have the opportunity to play alongside Crosby.

“What a phenomenal opportunity that would’ve been,” he said Friday. “Nothing but respect for the way he carries himself on and off the field and the adversity he’s overcome. You’ve got guys in this building that I’m excited to play with, as well. That’s (what is) so special about this. It feels so defensive-minded.”

Hendrickson spoke excitedly about the opportunity to play with quarterback Lamar Jackson rather than chase him. He was teammates with Drew Brees in New Orleans and Joe Burrow in Cincinnati, and he believes Jackson is among the quarterbacks who give their teams a chance to win a Super Bowl every season.

“I’m in a win-now window,” he said. “My career has been phenomenal, and I’ve been blessed to meet great people and win a lot of games. This opportunity to hoist the Lombardi Trophy, get into the win column and build something from the ground up is an amazing opportunity.”

Hendrickson, who was weighing offers from the Indianapolis Colts and a few other teams in free agency, said he’s happy to stay in the AFC North. However, he insisted that getting an opportunity to face the Bengals twice a season didn’t factor much in his decision-making.

He had a strong five-season run in Cincinnati with 61 sacks in 72 games. However, his final season-plus was marred by questions about his contract and by a hip injury that limited him to seven games in 2025 and necessitated core muscle surgery in December.

“If you can’t get excited to play here, you have to check your pulse,” Hendrickson said. “It’s exciting to start something fresh. That was probably overdue for me.”