The phones are about to start ringing off the hook in the Cincinnati Bengals offices because the team has given edge rusher Trey Hendrickson permission to seek a trade, OutKick has confirmed.

So, teams are about to line up on hold because Hendrickson led the NFL with 17.5 sacks in 2024. And he’s led the NFL the past two seasons with 35 sacks.

Trey Hendrickon Is Team Shopping

And he just recently turned 30, which suggests he’s still in his prime. 

If this sounds like lunacy that the Bengals would be willing to let Hendrickson go out there and shop his talents, well, it kind of is when you consider the team needs more not less help on defense.

But this is a club that is currently trying to manage contract negotiations with receivers Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Hendrickson. And Hendrickson is starting to look like the odd man out because he doesn’t catch passes from fake GM Joe Burrow, who wants his receivers room to remain intact.

Teams such as the Falcons, Chargers, Commanders, and Cardinals may be interested in Hendrickson.

Hendrickson is now shopping for a new team because he’s in the final year of his contract in 2025, and he wants an extension. But he doesn’t want just any extension.

He wants to be paid like one of if not the leading edge rusher in the NFL.

CINCINNATI, OH – JANUARY 07: Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson (91) reacts during the game against the Cleveland Browns and the Cincinnati Bengals on January 7, 2024, at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati, OH. (Photo by Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Hendrickson Wants Deserved Raise

And while he’s scheduled to cost the Bengals $15.8 million in base salary with a $18.6 salary cap cost in 2025, he wants a deal that will pays upwards of 30 million per season on average. Probably more, honestly, because Maxx Crosby just got an extension that makes him the NFL’s highest-paid non-quarterback at $35.5 million per season on average.

And both players are negotiating in an atmosphere where teams have tons of cap space following a record jump in the NFL salary cap.

This is serious stuff.

Many times teams give players permission to seek a trade in order to give the players and themselves a feel for what the market would bear. The Matthew Stafford saga of last week is an example of this.

After much drama and recruiting and negotiating with other teams – which the Rams allowed – Stafford ultimately stayed with the Rams.

This is different.

CINCINNATI, OHIO – JUNE 04: Trey Hendrickson #91 of the Cincinnati Bengals stretches during an OTA offseason workout at the Kettering Health Bengals Practice Fields on June 04, 2024 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)

Hendrickson Frustration Reaches Boiling Point

Hendrickson, obviously frustrated about his contract situation after asking for a new deal the past two years, met with team officials on Thursday. And he requested a trade. And permission to seek it.

It is the second time he makes these requests.

And it was granted.

So Hendrickson is now free to seek out a team willing to both trade for him and give him a new contract that pays him along the lines of what he thinks he’s worth.

It’s a two-pronged negotiation for any interested team – one with the player on a contract, one with the Bengals on trade compensation.

But it’s a negotiation multiple teams are likely to take on because, again, Hendrickson is the most productive edge rusher in the NFL the last two years. He’s the most productive edge rusher that suddenly becomes available.

And he plays a cornerstone position that all teams value higher than others, along with quarterback, cornerback, and offensive tackle.

So, the Bengals might be forced to seriously consider whatever offers they get or have to give Hendrickson a huge contract extension – with a trade being the more likely outcome.