Four-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Trey Hendrickson has agreed on a four-year, $112m contract with the Baltimore Ravens.
The Ravens had backed out of a blockbuster trade for star edge rusher Maxx Crosby late Tuesday reportedly due to a failed physical.
Baltimore keeps the two first-round draft picks it had agreed to send to Las Vegas and quickly pivoted to the best pass rusher on the market.
Hendrickson was an All-Pro for the Bengals in 2024 when he led the NFL with 17.5 sacks, but he played in only seven games because of injuries last season and had four sacks.
The 31-year-old Hendrickson has 81 sacks in nine seasons with New Orleans and Cincinnati, reaching double-digits four times, including 17 1/2 in consecutive seasons in 2023-24.
Hendrickson requested a trade from Cincinnati last March and skipped organised team activities and a mandatory mini camp, before also missing the start of training camp before getting a $14m raise for last season.
The Bengals did not use the franchise tag on him earlier this month, freeing him to hit the open market.
The last few days have been a whirlwind for Ravens fans after initially agreeing to acquire Crosby for the high price of two first-round picks, Baltimore lost several players at the start of the free agent negotiating period.
Then the Ravens nixed the trade for Crosby, and even after moving on to Hendrickson, they have issues to resolve, particularly in the middle of the offensive line after centre Tyler Linderbaum agreed to a deal with the Raiders.
Baltimore was also hoping to sign two-time MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson to an extension before the start of the new league year on Wednesday.
But instead the Ravens have restructured Jackson's deal to create cap space, according to a person with knowledge of the deal, speaking on condition of anonymity because the contract hadn't been finalized.
Jackson has two years remaining on the five-year, $260m contract the Ravens gave him in 2023.
In addition to Linderbaum, outgoing Baltimore free agents Isaiah Likely, Ar'Darius Washington, Dre'Mont Jones, Jordan Stout and Alohi Gilman were among those who reached deals with other teams.
All had been important players for the Ravens. So Baltimore have work to do, although now the Ravens have their first-round pick again.
They also have Hendrickson, who will join safety Kyle Hamilton and linebacker Roquan Smith among the stars on Baltimore's defense.
The Ravens were shaky on that side of the ball last season, all the way through the final game, when they repeatedly allowed Aaron Rodgers to rally the Steelers in the Week 18 matchup that gave Pittsburgh the AFC North title and kept Baltimore out of the playoffs.
