Bengals First Round Pick Walks Out of Minicamp Amidst Contract Dispute
Shemar Stewart is no longer present at mandatory minicamp, as he continues his holdout with the Cincinnati Bengals over his rookie contract details. Stewart was drafted by the Bengals with the 17th overall pick in this year’s NFL draft, coming off of three years at Texas A&M. This strong, explosive defensive tackle stands at six-foot-five, and weighs 267 pounds. His issue with the contract lies in the language the team wants to put in the writing. In addition to Stewart, there are just three other first-round picks from the 2025 draft that remain unsigned, but his situation seems to be the most uncertain.
Just weeks ago, it was reported that the issue between Shemar Stewart and the Bengals involves a phrase in the contract that would allow "a default in the current year to trigger a default in all remaining years." The Bengals did not use this type of language for anyone else, such as their first-round pick last year, Amarius Mims. Expectedly, Stewart is frustrated by the situation, as this is the last thing a rookie who is living out his dreams wants to worry about. However, he is determined to remove this language from his contract and continue to focus on his rookie season.
Shemar Stewart has not participated in any on-field activities since the start of OTAs, as he waits for the team to find a solution. However, they are running on a limited time as training camp will begin just next month. If the situation is not resolved by then, the team risks dragging this out into the regular season, which is something they should surely hope to avoid with a first-round draft pick. The Bengals have also been without star edge rusher Trey Hendrickson, as he is also holding out in pursuit of a new contract. Hendrickson was outstanding last season, leading the league with 17.5 sacks, being one of the only highlights of last year’s questionable Bengals defense. The team is hoping to iron out both Stewart and Hendrickson’s contracts and focus their time on fixing their defense and bringing the Cincinnati Bengals back to glory.
