The Bengals have cut their contract issues with defensive ends from two to one. At long last, the AFC North team has its first-round pick under contract.
Shemar Stewart agreed to terms on his four-year rookie deal Friday, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reports. The sides had been engaged in a dispute about default language, and the impasse kept Stewart from working out during OTAs or minicamp. After the stalemate continued into training camp, it is now over. The Bengals bent on language to finally sign Stewart, as Pelissero adds an adjustment was made.
Cincinnati attempted 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 voiced displeasure in being the guinea pig here and refused to sign, becoming the last first-rounder to put pen to paper this year. After this deal’s completion, only Browns second-round running back Quinshon Judkins — due to a domestic violence arrest — is unsigned.
The above-referenced adjustment, however, does not constitute a win for the Stewart camp on the core issue. Rather, the Bengals agreed to adjust Stewart’s signing bonus payment schedule, Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz reports. That evidently convinced Stewart being the guinea pig for the Bengals’ default language quest was acceptable. Second-rounder Demetrius Knight also objected to the Bengals’ void language, but he ended up accepting it in exchange for receiving 75% of his signing bonus upfront.
More specifically, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports $500K in Stewart’s bonus will be paid upfront rather than in December. According to the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Kelsey Conway, the team also greenlit a $550K bump to bring Stewart into camp. That would be the more notable development, as it would stand to bring a true raise for the disgruntled player in exchange for his agreement on the much-discussed default matter.
Unsigned draftees generally participate in OTAs and minicamps by signing waivers, but Stewart expressed issues with the Bengals on that front as well. He has yet to practice since the team chose him 17th overall. The Texas A&M product and the Bengals had been at odds for months on this matter, and while Cincinnati’s concession is not yet known, the team will have its top draft choice in uniform moving forward.
This closes one of the strangest negotiating chapters in the rookie-scale contract era (2011-present). First-rounders had been in the fully guaranteed contract bracket for a few years now; at No. 17, Stewart was locked into a fully guaranteed $18.97MM contract when the Bengals drafted him. The team’s crusade over minor default language, which prompted VP of player personnel Duke Tobin to criticize Stewart’s agent this week, brought scrutiny — especially as the Bengals navigate their Trey Hendrickson impasse. As a result, the team has not had its two highest-profile D-ends at work throughout the offseason.
Stewart had been training at his alma mater ahead of training camp — no, an actual Aggies return (with an aim at a 2026 draft reentrance) was not a thing — but will be tasked with developing quickly in Al Golden‘s defense. The Bengals have Hendrickson engaged in a holdout, already stripping away their top defender. Having Stewart out of action for this long compounded the issue, but the team at least has two first-rounders — Stewart and 2023 draftee Myles Murphy — at work.
The team drafted Stewart weeks after Sam Hubbard‘s retirement. He arrived for a team coming off a woeful defensive season, a campaign that prompted the Bengals to fire six-year DC Lou Anarumo and hire Golden. Stewart also checks in as a potential Hendrickson successor, in the event the Defensive Player of the Year runner-up and the Bengals cannot agree on an extension, or insurance against Murphy failing to make strides after two unremarkable years.
The Bengals are going on projection with Stewart, who totaled 1.5 sacks in each of his three college seasons. In correctly tabbing Stewart as the Bengals’ pick in his PFR mock draft, Ely Allen indicated scouts were enamored with the project pass rusher’s build, balance and bend. Cincinnati will finally have a chance to see their prized investment’s skills firsthand.
He’s a total clown and going to be an epic bust. Another terrible pick by Brown Family Inc.
Damn, good on Stewart. I thought the Bengals had the upper hand. They altered the language so now he can get arrested and still get paid,
Pretty sure the post just said the bengals got the language they wanted…
They covered ever possible option.
Umm, they adjusted his pay schedule but the void language is still in place.
Yeah, don’t know when the article said that. Seems as though they didn’t bend, because they apparently paid Stewart a better bonus (didn’t know they could do that in rookie deals) and gave him more of it up front, like they did with Knight.
I wonder what activities other than being arrested could trigger that avoidance, according to the language used? It seems to me that the criminal part doesn’t seem that objectionable, but perhaps it’s too generalized for the signees to agree to since it could cover other areas?
The language is out there for public consumption. I’ve posted it on another thread this topic came up on. There’s the normal don’t hit a woman in the face or use PED language, but there’s a bunch of stuff in there about criticizing the team in the press (who they’re required to speak to) and social media, anything the team could consider “disloyal,” which is ambiguous enough to give the team any kind of wiggle room to exploit and ditch a contract they don’t like. If the language were just about violence and PEDs, this contract would’ve been signed long ago. But as teams have proven over and over, they’ll exploit any ambiguous contract language to their advantage even if it doesn’t speak to the spirit of the agreement, so it’s no surprise a player wouldn’t want to agree to it, and failing that, attempt to mitigate the financial cost if the team tries to screw over the player.
Bengals are such a joke
I may be losing my mind…. again… but didn’t Mike Brown recently say that Stewart was acting foolishly or getting foolish advice, or something with the word “fool” in it? And now the Bengals have at least to some degree caved in? So is Stewart still being foolish, Mr. Brown?
Stewart’s agent? Bengals got the language they wanted. Just got more money upfront. And the money is just the signing bonus money anyways. So yea this is a brown family dub.
Shi**ar signed. Oh happy day. Let’s all dance. Hope he fired his agent for keeping him out this long. Can’t wait until he gets his welcome to the NFL moment. See how good he is at pushing Orlando Brown or Dylan Fairchild around.
Jealous much??
WELL IT’S ABOUT DAMN TIME!
Outstanding!!!
If the Bengals are this risk-averse with first-round picks, they should consider trading them away in future drafts, either for a larger quantity of lower-round picks or established veterans.
Well, it worked for Washington when George Allen was the head coach…lol
Clown show lmap
Now the team will let Hendrickson holdout! Lol
I’m disappointed that Stewart relented on this very important issue. For getting his signing bonus a few months early, he’s opening the door to the Bengals arbitrarily refusing to pay him guaranteed money in the future. This sounds like this dispute over a serious issue (guaranteed money) is being kicked down the road. If money is not guaranteed fully at the conclusion of the deal, how can it be described as “guaranteed?” This issue should have already been fully covered in the CBA. This sounds like the Bengals, and by extension, the league, are trying to get around paying out guarantees. And I’m shocked, shocked, that there’s gambling going on in this cafe!!!!
I mean, so long as you are disappointed in all the other 1st rnd picks that conceded on this I think you have a valid opinion.
Are there any other first round picks who made this concession? If there are, I must have missed it. If there are, then the union should monitor this very closely.
I’m guessing you’re from Cincinnati. You have great fans there, ones that deserve better management of your team than you get. Eye-rolling by ardent fans in Ohio over management decisions should rightly be confined to those of us who live in the northern part of the state.
I’m reading the comments and when I see people bashing these athletes cuz they’re jealous they themselves are not a pro athlete it’s pretty hilarious. You can argue what this issue was over all you want, but don’t tell me you’d accept a job where you were getting treatment that was different than everyone that came before you (not without some sort of incentive to do so especially, which is what it looks like the Bengals finally did). Stop acting like you’re so much more noble than these guys when you damn well wouldn’t do that at your own job. It’s the same for them. You want to be treated like all your coworkers and certainly don’t want to be an example or guinea pig in any way. You’re a clown if you seriously are bashing Stewart over this rather than the Bengals who have WAAAAAY more power and WAAAAAY more money. When Stewart’s career is all done, the Bengals will keep on going, and keep making money. He has a right to be picky about his short window in life to be where he is.
I fully support NFL players’ attempts to secure as much money as they can. I don’t think I clearly stated well enough. My disappointment was in Stewart’s decision to relent in this case, because it’s such an important issue. You’re correct in surmising that there is a pronounced imbalance between Stewart and the Bengals (or any other rookie and any other team) regarding the leverage each has on this issue. Stewart is doubtless not worth billions of dollars and will have a playing career far shorter than the Bengals existence. I wasn’t bashing Stewart for his choice; I completely understand why he made that choice. There’s a good chance I would have made the same one. I’m just disappointed that he didn’t have much of a choice, I guess, and am concerned about the repercussions of it. But I do understand why he made it.
I’m glad this story is done. Hopefully the other one gets done soon.
Bengals are trash lol
The language in dispute is such a narrow specific example that both sides look a little silly.
Really Bengals? Inventing language and pulling that out for a first rounder? Perhaps if you had that concern you could have drafted another?
And Stewart – just don’t get arrested! Be an adult, its not hard! Why do athletes seem to get arrested at seemingly higher percentages? But certainly I understand not being singled out from your first round peers. Ive been on Stewarts side in this dispute.
Easily more blame here for the Bengals for instigating and architecting the entire embarrassing situation, only to give in with nothing to show. There was not a defensible position for any of it.
Owners will gladly pay the raise…
A few bucks for some extra language that has never been standard. NFLPA not going to be happy.