The Cincinnati Bengals appear to be at a stalemate with rookie first-round pick Shemar Stewart. The former standout linebacker at Texas A&M University was selected No 17 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft and that’s about as much progress the team made towards officially making him a Bengal.
Stewart remains unsigned after he missed OTAs and then walked out on his “hold-in” from mandatory minicamps. It’s not a good situation and ESPN’s Adam Schefter says that it’s not getting any better.
Appearing on the “Rothman and Ice Show” this past week, Schefter said he thinks that Stewart’s heels are firmly planted in the dirt and that the Bengals just might have to cave.
“I think he’s dug in on the language”, Schefter said. “He doesn’t want to be the first one and be made an example of. The Bengals haven’t had this language before. Other teams have had it, but the Bengals haven’t, and he doesn’t want to be the guy. He seems unwilling to budge.”
Who can blame Stewart? It’s one thing for a team to try something new with contract language, but it’s always a different story when it’s Cincinnati. There always seems to be some sort of issue when it comes to the Bengals exchanging money with a player.
Stewart has yet to participate in any practices
Some unsigned first-round draft picks (like Jacksonville Jaguars WR/CB Travis Hunter; he has since signed) practiced with the team during OTAs and minicamp after the draft while they waited to iron out their deals. Stewart was absolutely not one of them.
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio mentioned previously that his hold-in was due to the lack of a participation agreement, which is designed to protect an unsigned player from injury.
“PFT has compared the Bengals’ participation agreement with the language used by another team,” Florio wrote. “There are very real differences.
“For example, Cincinnati’s agreement applies if the player “sustains a disabling NFL football-related injury.” At least one other team removes the phrase “disabling,” which introduces ambiguity and (potentially) an avenue for the team lawyering their way out of the deal.
“The Bengals’ agreement also doesn’t contain a clear commitment to give Stewart a contract commensurate with being the 17th overall pick in the draft. The other team’s expressly says that the terms “shall be commensurate” with the player’s slot.”
To quote Mr. Garvey the substitute teacher: Chicanerous and deplorable.
And this is just for a participation agreement. This isn’t even an actual contract.
Then there was the time Stewart ripped management
A little more than a month ago, Stewart got so frustrated that he decided to pop off on the team’s brass. It’s one thing to abruptly leave minicamp in a huff, it’s another to fully articulate your displeasure with the team that just drafted you…to a room full of reporters.
“In my case, I’m 100% right,” Stewart said. “I’m not asking for nothing that’s never been done before. In [the team’s case], y’all just want to win an argument instead of winning more games, in my opinion.”
Stewart is 21-years old, hasn’t even become a full-time employee of the Bengals yet, has only dealt with them for a few months, and yet already has the entire organization figured out. Is any of this resonating with the Brown family? That’s rhetorical (but you can tell me in the comments).
“It’s made it very easy when the people in your locker room say you’re doing the right things,” Stewart continued, pouring more gasoline onto the raging inferno. “Especially the star players.”
So, the veterans in the locker room are already telling Stewart how much it sucks to work here.
“I mean, If I was the GM, if I was the owner,” Stewart continued. “‘Take all my money’… but I guess they don’t operate like that.”
Oh no they don’t. What’s the opposite of “take all my money?” You came to the wrong place if you think that’s remotely the mentality around Paycor Stadium.
There are still a couple of weeks before training camp, if this standoff lasts into August, the Bengals will be a bit behind the eight ball heading into a season in which they desperately need to make the playoffs following a dismal 9-8 season.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post NFL Insider Gives Blunt Assessment of Cincinnati Bengals Holdout Situation appeared first on Heavy Sports.