T
rouble is brewing in Cincinnati. The Cincinnati Bengals are in the middle of a contract standoff with star player, Trey Hendrickson, and things only escalated further after Hendrickson made some grim comments at the Bengals’ OTA practice on May 13. But now, the Bengals are in even more hot water with one of their rookies from this year’s class. First round pick Shemar Stewart is yet to take the field with his new team as he, too, deals with a contract dispute.
Opting to skip rookie minicamp due to not having a contract, it has now been revealed that the primary reason that he and the team have yet to agree is because of conflicts regarding his signing bonus. Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reported that the Bengals are attempting to limit the compensation percentage he would receive in a signing bonus and instead have it be paid as training-camp roster bonuses.
Breaking Down the Situation
Per NFL rules, all contract values for first round draft picks are predetermined, with all four years guaranteed no matter what. And even though the Bengals are not allowed to work around that, which means that they are required to give Stewart a guaranteed deal, one thing that they are looking to do is pay him less when it comes to what he is owed for training camp. But what is making this situation worse is the injury protection portion of the contract. Currently, the Bengals are unwilling to offer an adequate enough protected participation agreement– which adds some protection insurance in case he gets injured. But despite the conflict, the team believes that they will be able to work something out with their first round selection.
“We expect that as other first-round draft picks get signed, this will get resolved,” the Bengals said in a statement to The Enquirer.
What makes this situation all the more interesting though is how the rest of the rookie signings have played out across the league. In a time where the Houston Texans made second round pick, Jayden Higgins, the first ever second round pick to receive a guaranteed contract, the Bengals are making contract negotiations with their first round pick very difficult– which could end up being a bad look for the franchise.
What Happens if This Drags Out?
While not super likely, there is a chance that Stewart could end up holding out into training camp. Throughout the entirety of the league’s history, teams have, for the most part, been able to come to an agreement with their rookies in time for the season. But there have been some notable exceptions. In 2009, 49ers rookie Michael Crabtree did not agree to a rookie contract with the team until October, resulting in him missing the first five games of the season.
In 2010, New York Jets rookie, Darrelle Revis, missed the first 21 days of training camp after he had no contract– however, he was signed in August and was able to play during the preseason. For the Bengals, the hope is to have the dispute resolved long before that so that Stewart can get plenty of field work in with his new team and be ready for the start of the regular season.
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