Tom Pelissero shares insight into Shemar Stewart holdout

This has gotten really complicated

The Cincinnati Bengals have gone through OTAs and mandatory minicamp without two key contributors on defense — Trey Hendrickson and rookie Shemar Stewart, both edge rushers on a team that, outside of Hendrickson, struggles at rushing the passer.

In a conference with the best quarterbacks in the league and coming off a 9-8 season in which the defense held Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase out of the playoffs, the Bengals have allowed themselves to be in the headlines for all the wrong reasons.

NFL Network insider Tom Pellisero joined the Rich Eisen show to break down exactly what has kept the team and Stewart from being able to come to an agreement.

We already knew most of what he said, which was basically the Bengals added language to Stewart’s contract that could void future guarantees if he violates certain terms. This isn’t new across the league as several teams have like clauses in their contracts, but the Bengals didn’t until now and they want Stewart to be their guinea pig. Stewart and his agent aren’t okay with that, which is understandable.

What we didn’t know is that Stewart also declined to sign a participation agreement, which other players who have yet to sign their contracts have signed.

Check out Pellisero’s segment below.