With training camp scheduled to start next week, the Cincinnati Bengals appear to be no closer to signing first-round rookie Shemar Stewart than when they drafted him.
Stewart, a 21-year-old defensive end, left Cincinnati’s mandatory minicamp in June amid a contentious conflict over contract guarantees. Stewart and the Bengals have reportedly spoken since about the contract without progress.
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As of Tuesday, he’s reportedly working out away from the Bengals at Texas A&M, where he played three years of college football. The Cincinnati Enquirer confirmed Tuesday afternoon that he’s using Texas A&M’s facilities.
To be clear — as the Enquirer’s Kelsey Conway noted — this is not uncommon. Stewart lives in Texas, and it’s “very common” for NFL players to work out at their former schools, per her report. Stewart’s not working out with the Texas A&M team — he’s simply using its facilities to keep in football shape.
In fact, Stewart’s not the only unsigned rookie using his former school’s facilities this summer.
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Denver Broncos cornerback Jahdae Barron is the only other first-round pick (No. 20) who hasn’t yet signed his contract. He recently posted pictures of himself on Instagram working out at Texas.
Unlike Stewart, there’s no indication of a holdout between Barron and the Broncos. He was a participant at Broncos minicamp. And both he and head coach Sean Payton spoke glowingly of his experience there.
“It feels like home,” Barron told reporters after minicamp.
For whatever reason, the two sides haven’t yet put pen to paper.
This is not the case with Stewart and the Bengals. There’s real, public animosity between the two sides.
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Stewart initially reported to minicamp in June, but didn’t participate in drills. But as he remained without a contract, he left minicamp on June 12.
So what’s the holdup?
Thanks to the rookie wage scale, there’s very little to negotiate in rookie contracts. As the No. 17 pick in the draft, Stewart is due to sign a four-year, $18.9 million contract with a fifth-year team option as a first-round pick.
This is collectively bargained. It’s not negotiable.
The conflict is reportedly over future guarantees. Per the Enquirer, the Bengals are seeking to set a new precedent with rookie contracts that allows the team to void future guaranteed money. Stewart’s understandably not on board with this and has gone public with his grievances.
“I’m 100 percent right,” Stewart said on June 10, per Jay Morrison of Sports Illustrated. “I’m not asking for nothing y’all have never done before. But in y’all case, y’all just want to win arguments (more) than winning more games.”
He also told reporters that it’s “very important” for him to get on the field for training camp.
“I’ve been doing this for most of my whole life, and all of a sudden it’s gone over something very simple to fix,” Stewart said. “It’s kind of disappointing. …
“It’s very important. You’ve got to get your body somewhat prepared to play football. Especially me coming from college to the NFL. It’s a way physical game, even though I played in the SEC, which is very physical. Nothing compares to actually playing in the NFL.”
As of now, Stewart’s doing his football work on his own and away from the Bengals with no public indication that he’s any closer to a contract with the team.
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What happens if this continues?
If the stalemate extends beyond training camp and into the season, the two sides would have until the Tuesday after Week 10 to sign a contract, or Stewart wouldn’t be eligible to play in 2025. If they don’t reach a deal before next year’s draft, Stewart would become eligible to enter his name into the 2026 draft. Any team but the Bengals would be eligible to select him in that scenario.
Stewart’s not the only high-profile Bengals defender in the midst of a contract dispute.
All-Pro defensive end Trey Hendrickson also remains without a new contract, fresh off his second consecutive season with 17.5 sacks. In May, Hendrickson told reporters that the stalemate had “become personal.” His status for training camp also remains in doubt.
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As of Tuesday, there’s no indication that Hendrickson and the Bengals are any closer to a new deal. Rookies are scheduled to report to Bengals training camp on Friday. Veterans are due to report next Tuesday.
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