Bengals first-round DE Shemar Stewart remains unsigned, and he left mandatory minicamp without participating due to contract disputes about his rookie deal.
The Bengals and Stewart are at odds because Cincinnati is changing the language regarding how guarantees can be voided and the percentage of compensation in future years paid as a training-camp roster bonus instead of in base salary. The contracts for the Bengals’ last two first-round picks did not contain the language differences.
NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe went on The Insiders and gave some insight into the situation. He said both sides remain at an impasse, and the disagreements arise from language, guarantees and precedent.
“The Bengals are trying to create a new precedent with Shemar Stewart,” Wolfe said. “Putting language in his contract on voiding, for particularly off-the-field incidents, that would void the guarantees in this deal. Shemar’s team, obviously, they don’t want to be a guinea pig for this particular motive.”
According to Wolfe, Stewart’s team cites the Bengals’ recent draft picks’ contracts not having this language, while the Bengals will point to the contracts of the picks directly before and after Stewart in this draft being of this nature. Wolf adds there is no imminent deal, and Stewart is willing to take this through training camp if there’s no agreement.
The dispute cost Stewart all of OTAs and mandatory minicamp. Because he’s unsigned, he’s not subject to fines for missing minicamp, but his preference is still to be getting ready to hit the ground running this upcoming season. However, Stewart noted he has the support of the locker room, including some of the star players.
Stewart, 21, was a five-star recruit who was the ninth-ranked player and the third-ranked defensive lineman in the 2022 recruiting class. He committed to Texas A&M and became a full-time starter in his junior year, earning third-team All-SEC honors.
The Bengals selected Stewart with the No. 17 overall pick in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. He’s projected to sign a four-year, $18,942,634 contract that includes a $10,416,460 signing bonus. The contract includes a fifth-year option for the team to pick up in 2028.
In his collegiate career, Stewart appeared in 37 games for Texas A&M and recorded 30 total tackles, four passes defended, one forced fumble, two recoveries, and 4.5 sacks.
We’ll have more on the Bengals and Stewart as the news is available.
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