Bengals rookies are supposed to report to the team’s facilities this coming Saturday, with Wednesday standing as the start date for training camp, so the next few days will be crucial for getting past the contract situation between the team and first-round defensive end Shemar Stewart. According to Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer, “there has been no progress made on” either side of the negotiations. 
To recap quickly, Cincinnati is attempting to build new language into its rookie contracts that would void all guarantees in future years if a player does something to void guarantees in any year of the contract, as opposed to only voiding the guarantees in the year that something occurred. Stewart does not appreciate being the guinea pig for the Bengals’ innovative concept, one that can really only stand to hurt him. This has led to an extreme holdout that could still end in several interesting ways.
Stewart’s argument stems from the fact that last year’s first-round pick, Amarius Mims, was taken 18th overall, and Mims doesn’t have that language in his contract. Stewart was taken 17th overall back in April, so how does it make sense that he would receive worse terms in a deal than Mims? Stewart and his representation have challenged the Bengals, saying that, as this is a negotiation, and Cincinnati is asking Stewart to accept a not insignificant concession, the team should be will to offer him something in return.
Unfortunately, rookie contracts are pretty set in stone; the slots have predetermined values, and for a while now, first-round contracts have all been fully guaranteed. Pretty much any negotiating power is typically in the payment structure of the rookie’s signing bonus. Per Conway, the Bengals typically push out the signing bonus in two installments: one on the day the rookie signs the contract and the other 60 days later. She believes that, were Cincinatti willing to agree to pay the whole signing bonus all at once, that would be enough of a concession for Stewart to seriously consider signing the deal.
Unfortunately, though, the Bengals have not made such an offer. In fact, they’ve made zero offers, sticking to their guns about the contract they’d already extended as the final version. Stewart has refused to accept this and left the state, as a result, returning to his alma mater. He’s working out at the Texas A&M facility at the moment, since he cannot practice with the team without a contract.
As Nikhil Mehta wrote earlier today, the Bengals still control Stewart’s rights until next year’s draft. Stewart can refuse to sign and participate in the 2026 NFL Draft, in which the Bengals would not be allowed to select him again, but in that case, he wouldn’t be able to play in college in 2025 and would just be sitting for a year outside of the game. For a player who was drafted more for his potential than his production, sitting out a year could be detrimental for his development.
The best case for both sides is to work out a deal and get Stewart on the field. Stewart needs every bit of work he can get as a developing rookie, and the Bengals need every piece they have to improve a defense that cost them a lot of success last season. It will likely come down to which side breaks first, and with neither party willing to cede any ground, we remain at an impasse.
Just another billionaire using a team for tax breaks and profit. No real investment in the community, no care about winning — same story in politics and business: profit over people, always.
Except Mike Brown isn’t a billionaire. He’s the poorest owner in the league. All his money comes from the team. And NFL teams aren’t that profitable. See the public records of the Packers
LMFAO,
1. The Mike Brown Family is worth about 4 billion 😂.
2. NFL franchises have appreciated about 600% (3-4 Billion) in the last 20 years 😂.
3. Putting his money in a franchise comes with significant tax breaks and allows him to deduct most of that investment in 15 years (asset amortization)
4. So he try’s to screw Shemar Stuart in a contract and he doesn’t care if it hurts the teams W-L record, because of reasons 1, 2, and 3.
Stop lying because you are brainwashed to support billionaires
Trying to argue that owning a professional sports franchise isn’t profitable is like trying to argue that being unemployed is the best way to become a billionaire.
It’s actually his daughter running the team and she’s the cause of all this….as for is Mike Brown rich? That’s debatable..NFL owners get revenue sharing so he’s got the necessary operating capital…the Bengals are the John Fisher of the NFL. If your not familiar with Fisher …he’s the cheap skate who owns the Oakland A’s now just Athletics baseball team…
Former Oakland A’s fan of 30 years here. Brown might be cheap and run the team poorly.. but Fisher *never* would have paid Burrow, Chase, or Higgins – he would have traded them for picks and then moved the team to Columbus when people stopped showing up after trading them, citing poor attendance. They are not the same.
I’m an A’s and Bengals fan. I just really like my teams ownership to be terrible before I commit my fandom to them.
you have a “type”
Fisher intentionally traded off top talent to avoid paying them so he could escape Oakland …Vegas doesn’t want him or his AAA team….my point was Brown is an awful owner like Fisher
No it’s not debatable whether Mike Brown is rich 😂💀guys wtf is wrong with people
Mike Browns issue is he needs to sell some of the ownership to get a cash infusion.
SeanX- You can’t expect these guys to know what they’re talking about. They’re just parroting the same old tired garbage they’ve heard over the years. They know better because they read it in NFL trade rumors. People have no idea about minority investors and having to keep them happy too. It’s always the “owner’s” fault, to which I ask,”Which one”. Some teams can have dozens of “owners” if you count investment groups. But it’s always the guy they think is the sole owner because he’s the one on TV.
This has nothing to do with Mike Brown. I admire the Bengals for standing their ground to only get verbiage in the contract that half the league already has. Simply says if you pull a Ray Rice , Judkins , or get suspended for PED that the guarantees are void. Why can half the league have the same language but when the Bengals want to add it for good reason it’s a Mike Brown bash party. I know he’s got issues …. And probably not the best owner. But I totally agree with their position on this …
That’s not accurate. The language isn’t limited to punching a woman in the face or PED use. It has those elements, but it also includes ambiguous language about speaking to the press or social media/public and criticizing the team in a way that would be considered unloyal to the team. It also includes language that has to do with ejections or suspensions related to on-field activity. The contract is worded in a way that is 100% beneficial to the team and 0% beneficial to the player, and as team owners have proven time and time again, if they can exploit ambiguous language in a contract to help themselves, they’ll do it, even if it’s not in the spirit of the language.
If the contract language simply said “don’t punch women and don’t use PEDs,” that contract would be signed by now.
Add to that their pick last year did not have it, and they aren’t willing to provide anything in return for him accepting this new language (which is in no way good for the player). Talk about a crappy way to start a relationship with a new employee.
Exactly
Bengals need to pony up and drop the fire insurance non-sense yeah a player can mess up and ruin thier investment in them but that part of the game you have to draft for character as well as talent and if a game goes off the rails you made the wrong pick it’s that simple.
Guy*
It’s ridiculous. A dozen edge rushers make more in an average year of their contract than Stewart will make over the four years of his rookie contract. They’re wasting time he could be getting reps over details. Just get the thing done.
Exactly. And it’s so short-sighted. The whole value of the first round pick is that this could be a guy who develops into something special that a team wants to keep around for a long while. But here the Bengals are poisoning that relationship right from go. If Stewart turns out to be an all-pro talent, how does Cincy think those second contract negotiations are gonna go when the power balance between team and player is far more equal than it is for the rookie contract.
Burrow should ask for a trade… this team is a disaster
He probably would have if they had let Higgins go on top of these shenanigans. This situation added to the Hendrickson debacle is a terrible look for the franchise.
Its kinda funny that a college football team in Ohio is one of the best in the country. And both pro teams in Ohio seem to know about as much about football as my dog.
Whoa…Browns fan here…Haslam invests in our team and does what it takes to try and win every year….don’t compare us to the Bungles…..
Investing in the team and knowing what you’re doing aren’t the same thing. The Cavaliers and Guardians have just as much chance at winning a Super Bowl as the Browns.
Traci- Yeah he invests. 245 million guaranteed to a serial sex offender who plays like a high school QB when he’s able to limp to the field. Yep, and for that piece of garbage he dumped Baker Mayfield, who with a good coach and a good supporting cast has made the playoffs with my Buccaneers. He’s got 5 QBs on the roster, none of which is probably going to keep them out of the number 1 draft position in next year’s draft, in which they will probably draft another QB. As the old saying goes,” A fool and his money are soon parted.”
Yes. He has to way overpay. Screw up the salary structures all over the place to ridicule levels.
Now they are giving guaranteed contacts to 2nd round picks causing delays in signings and now it appears you have to basically hold your ground or deal with the stupidity that is having to follow up on someone else’s f up.
Your owner has to do this beaver very few want to go there. Or stay there. In the case of Watson it was the first and it backfired brilliantly. Myles wanted out so Haslam had to break the DE salary structure to pacify him.
Great that he owns outside business to do this. Effing up a salary structure for those that don’t. The Bengals actually pay in salary very well. They just don’t have the ability to give out heavy guaranteed contracts.
Tune- Not paying a 31 year old man for 4 more years is a debacle? The Bengals told him they want him for 1 more year and will double his salary. He’s to thick headed to understand they don’t want him after this year. You can’t force someone to keep you on the employee rolls after your contract is done. He wants them to pay him 40 million until he’s 35 or 36. Not a great investment. He plays one of the most physically demanding positions on the field and at his age he could stop being productive at any moment. So why keep paying him big money for less production?
They could trade him then, but they won’t do it. Just guarantee 2 years of the contract. Even if he somehow got $160 mil over 4 years, it’s not going to be fully guaranteed. 2-3 more years of Hendrickson at near top of the market value shouldn’t be a problem.
Tune- That’s probably where they will end up. 2 years for 75-80. That way they can both say they won.
The Bengals are a joke. If your not going to sign your 1st round pick at the assigned slot value and fully guarantee the contract like ALL the other 1st round picks throughout the NFL…don’t make the pick! Trade it! Talk about cheap skates! The NFL players union should have stepped in and protected Stewart but their mute on the whole deal…at this point, Stewart should look to playing in Canada and then re enter the draft next year…
Bungles gotta Bungle
Traci- Wrong, several other teams use the exact contract language that is in Shi**eads contract. And if you knew what you were talking about you would know the players union can’t comment or step in because he is not under contract and therefore not eligible to be a member. Even if he went to Canada if he returned to the USA the Bengals would retain negotiating rights.
Wrong…if he plays in Canada and re enters next year’s draft the Bengals are not allowed to re draft him
And the language they are trying to use to void his whole contract is not common practice
Traci–Really? Have you read the league rules or did you just stay at a Holiday Inn last night? Why would they redraft him when they already have exclusive rights to him? And yes it is. Several other teams have the EXACT language in their contracts. Before you argue a point you should do some research. And research is not reading other articles by non-lawyers. This discussion is one sided because you refuse to actually look into the problem. Are you one of those guys who finishes a argument by saying,” Because I said so”?
Never understood why when you’re at least a playoff contender you draft a project like this to begin with.
Both sides are wrong in this debacle and the Brown family inability to communicate and bunker down like Berlin 1945 is always fun to watch.
Meanwhile the Browns owner continues to blow up salary structures and force other teams to do the same. Hopefully they don’t and advise players that’s their way. Not everyone else’s way. They even gave a fully guaranteed contract to their 2nd round pick. Never done before.
Now the 49ers are doing it with their 3rd pick.