'This one may last well into training camp' – Former NFL executive predicts Bengals' latest contract holdout won't end for a while
It's possible the Cincinnati Bengals will be without All-Pro Trey Hendrickson and first-round pick Shemar Stewart until the regular season gets much closer. Hendrickson is holding out for a new contract extension and is threatening to miss games. Stewart hasn't even signed his first NFL contract yet and is refraining from practicing until his camp […]
It's possible the Cincinnati Bengals will be without All-Pro Trey Hendrickson and first-round pick Shemar Stewart until the regular season gets much closer.
Hendrickson is holding out for a new contract extension and is threatening to miss games. Stewart hasn't even signed his first NFL contract yet and is refraining from practicing until his camp reaches an agreement with Cincinnati.
The Bengals have dealt with veterans like Hendrickson holding out and missing valuable practice time before, but Stewart being a non-participating rookie was an unexpected variable in this offseason.
If nothing changes on the Stewart front soon, Cincinnati may not see him begin practicing for a while.
Former NFL executive Andrew Brandt dove into Stewart's predicament in his latest column for Sports Illustrated. The Bengals, per reports, want to establish new precedent in Stewart's contract. Brandt projects the 21-year old's holdout could last well beyond OTAs and next month's mandatory minicamp.
The Bengals have not inserted language in their rookie contracts such as this before, and didn’t do so with last year’s No. 18 pick, Amarius Mims. It sounds like Stewart’s agent has good reason to keep him from practicing, and this looks like it will not end soon. I know the Bengals; they can be hard-headed in negotiations, and it sounds like they are trying to force this language into their contracts to serve as a precedent for all their future rookie contracts. Settle in. This one may last well into training camp. – Sports Illustrated's Andrew Brandt
Training camp will begin for the Bengals some time in late July, which is when the club signed 2024 first-round pick Amarius Mims last year. Mims' contract, as Brandt relays, doesn't contain the language in the deal Stewart hasn't signed.
Cincinnati attempted to include the language in 2023 first-round pick Myles Murphy's deal according to Murphy's brother, Max, but were unsuccessful in establishing precedent in that case.
Just because Stewart isn't signed doesn't mean he can't practice with the team. He would be protected via an injury waiver in case something were to happen. Nevertheless, the 17th overall pick from last month's draft is utilizing his leverage and not participating while Hendrickson is away from the team entirely.
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