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…
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…..
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…