The two sides recently tried to reignite contract talks, but they went nowhere.
Training camp is less than three weeks away, and the Cincinnati Bengals have yet to sign first-round pick Shemar Stewart.
Will both sides be able to reach an agreement before Day 1 of camp arrives? For now, it doesn’t appear anything is close to happening…
According to Tyler Dragon of The Cincinnati Enquirer, there has been no progress made on getting Stewart’s deal done after the two sides recently tried to reignite contract talks.
The Bengals and Stewart’s team discussed the rookie’s contract details last week but no progress was made, a person familiar with the situation told USA TODAY Sports. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter. The two sides haven’t spoken since.
It has been well-documented why Stewart and the Bengals are at an impasse due to the contract wording, as well as the wording in the participation agreement that could have gotten Stewart onto the practice field without signing his rookie contract.
Alas, unless either side budges, there’s a very real possibility that Stewart isn’t on the field when training camp arrives.