Shemar Stewart sat out the Bengals’ rookie minicamp as a result of the fact he has yet to sign his initial NFL contract. The structure of the pact was at the heart of the issue, and that is still the case. 
Stewart has attended meetings during voluntary offseason work, but Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports he has yet to participate in any on-field practices. Stewart’s aim is for his pact to match the language of the Bengals’ two most recent Day 1 selections. That affects matters like the timing of bonus payments, whereas the value of his base salary and signing bonus are determined by draft slot.
The Bengals selected Stewart 17th overall, adding an option to complement Trey Hendrickson in 2025 and potentially replace him as the team’s top edge rusher after that point. The Texas A&M product’s rookie deal will match that of right tackle Amarius Mims (the No. 18 pick in 2024) and fellow defensive end Myles Murphy (No. 28 in 2023) if his request is granted. Disputes similar to this one have not been entirely eliminated in the rookie wage scale era, but it is still notable this situation has resulted in an ongoing holdout.
Hendrickson, of course, is seeking a new arrangement of his own with one year remaining on his pact. The reigning NFL sack leader is angling for guarantees beyond 2025, a bridge the Bengals have not historically been willing to cross (with a small number of recent exceptions). Even if Hendrickson remains in the fold for the coming year and beyond, increased production in the pass rush department will be required on a defense needing to improve in several areas moving forward.
Stewart may not be in position to help in that regard right away after he totaled just 4.5 sacks in college. Still, the 6-5, 267-pounder’s draft stock was helped by his Combine performance and athletic profile, and over the long term he could grow into a key figure on defense for years to come. Stewart’s (on-field) development will not begin until his contract situation sees a resolution, however.
Y’all just need a whole new page for Bengals contract disputes.
The Bengals were asked to create some contract disputes to break the monotony of reading about player arrests in Kansas City.
Or D Watson medical updates.
Brown family doesn’t have the cash flow for immediate high dollar bonuses.
The NFL has the most amazing ‘poor billionaires owners’ in the league. It’s amazing. M Davis had to have LV and the NFL pay for his new stadium because, golly, he’s too poor to finance his own as another easy example.
Stan Kroenke had enough to pay for a multibillion dollar entertainment complex in Los Angeles, and still tried to stick the NFL with relatively measly settlement for his flight from St. Louis.
It’s a tenant of old-school conservatism. I conserve my money while someone spends theirs on my behalf.
S Khan checks in at #8 w/ an estimated net worth of $12.2B. Duval county is paying 50% of the renovation to prove your point.
I wonder these type of holdouts are player driven or agent driven?
I wonder whether the agents are using this kid in order to assist with future clients.
We’re gonna have to wait for the 30 for 30. You make valid points.
I wonder why the teams don’t ask these types of questions during the offseason.
No he is representing a player to help get what this player deserves while dealing with cheap ass owners. Why do you always think the agent is to blame and not the billionaire owners? Sad.
Never Remember has muted me, I suppose, but perhaps he should consider that simply being a billionaire does not make a person incorrect. Either the potentially slimy billionaire or the potentially slimy could be in the wrong, or neither one could be. Being a billionaire doesn’t mean that a person is automatically incorrect, no matter what greater struggle this may or may not be a part of.
In any case, without hearing the perspective of the player, agent, and team manager, we’re all speculating. Besides, these are team decisions sometimes, not billionaire ones.
It’s bad enough when the Bengals won’t negotiate or structure contracts competitively with what other teams do, but to not even match the contracts they themselves gave first round picks the last two years (at lower picks!) is ridiculous. At least meet your own standard. This is also a lot of drama for small potatoes as far as NFL contract dealings go.
And why they drafted a guy in the first round (!) who, beyond his “tools”, couldn’t produce the kind of numbers in college that justified how high he went- is beyond me.
Poverty franchise or any other turn of phrase/ euphemism that demoralizes the bengals entirely. Yikes..
This is so hilarious.
The Bengals just keep shooting themselves in the foot with their stubbornness.
Hey Shemar, why don’t you actually play in a game before you make yourself look like an a**? Your 4 sacks in 4 years is what actual NFL players have gotten in 2 weeks, and let’s make sure you know how to finish a tackle and then you can get paid. Right now all the guys who are out in the heat actually practicing are building up some powerful resentment that you may be the recipient of when you actually hit the field.
It isn’t Stewart’s fault the Bengals selected him. If the Bengals selected him because they thought he would be easily manipulated into taking a lesser deal, that is on the Bengals.