Shemar Stewart reveals he has meaningful support behind his rookie contract plight against Bengals
Shemar Stewart isn't backing down in his standoff against the Cincinnati Bengals. The 17th overall pick from the 2025 NFL Draft has not signed his rookie contract as the Bengals' offer includes certain default language that differs from past deals signed by the club's first-round picks.Stewart is one of two unsigned players in Cincinnati's locker […]
Shemar Stewart isn't backing down in his standoff against the Cincinnati Bengals. The 17th overall pick from the 2025 NFL Draft has not signed his rookie contract as the Bengals' offer includes certain default language that differs from past deals signed by the club's first-round picks.
Stewart is one of two unsigned players in Cincinnati's locker room along with second-round pick Demetrius Knight Jr., but Knight is really in a holding pattern with nearly 30 other second-rounders as fully guaranteed deals for those draft picks could now be on the table.
The fight Stewart is battling is his alone, but he's not without support of his new teammates.
Following the Bengals' first practice of mandatory minicamp, Stewart told media members veterans on the team have supported his decision to not sign his contract and refrain from practicing. He didn't name names, but he did specify what caliber of players have told him as such.
"It's made it very easy when the people in your locker room say you're doing the right things," Stewart said. "Especially the star players."
Stewart's conviction was on full display Tuesday afternoon, stating he is "100 percent right" and opining the front office cares more about winning arguments than games, but those words are coming from his perspective. It's another layer of intrigue when said perspective is backed by the central figures of the roster.
Outside of Trey Hendrickson, the stars of the Bengals have all been satisfied by the front office of late; Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins being the big three. Deals for Chase and Higgins took longer than they should've, but they were taken care of nonetheless.
This would seem to be more about the principle. Stewart is being asked to agree to terms his predecessors did not have to accept. No one on the roster has signed a deal with the language in Stewart's offer. Perhaps existing players who could eventually re-up with the club would prefer to keep it that way, but even that case has its holes.
If Burrow and Chase, for example, are offered contracts with language that isn't included in their existing deals, they'd have leverage to argue against it. Stewart has yet to sign any NFL contract, so his leverage is basically non-existent. This precedent would realistically only impact future new players of the Bengals, specifically first- and second-round picks and potential free agents vying for future guarantees.
Perhaps there's a larger point being made. The last few offseasons have been filled with contract disputes between the team's best players and the front office. That another dilemma is now unfolding with a wide-eyed 21-year old rookie may have the best players in the locker room feeling a certain way. They could simply be supporting their newest teammate no matter the endeavor.
Speculation, of course, but interesting to ponder nonetheless.
Stewart's head-turning media session indicates this battle is not going to end anytime soon, and if he feels validated by those he'll now be looking up to, he's definitely not having any thoughts about giving in now.
Bengals 2025 Roster Breakdown: Shemar Stewart has much to prove long after ongoing contract dispute gets put to bed
Cincinnati’s first-round pick from the 2025 NFL Draft will have plenty of eyes on him this season.
