Speculations have been flying around after contract negotiations between former Texas A&M defensive end Shemar Stewart and the Cincinnati Bengals reportedly hit a brick wall.
Stewart was drafted by the Bengals with the 17th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, but the 21-year-old is facing some challenges in reaching an agreement with the team.
Shemar Stewart Refuses To Take Part In Bengals Minicamp Amid Contract Issues
Shemar Stewart made the news over the weekend after his decision not to sign his rookie contract. The former Texas A&M Aggie also decided not to take part in the rookie minicamp.
Reports indicate that Stewart’s decision to sit out the minicamp was due to the Bengals attempting to limit the percentage of compensation in future years to be paid as training-camp roster bonuses.
🚨NEWS: #Bengals 1st & 2nd round picks Shemar Stewart and Demetrius Knight are REFUSING to partake in on-field work until they get their rookie deals signed.
Stewart and Knight are the only rookies refusing to do field work until they sign— despite having injury protection (RPA) pic.twitter.com/ngBDlpEySv
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) May 9, 2025
The Bengals are quickly gaining a reputation for botching contract negotiations with defensive players, and this could hurt the team’s chances of becoming a force to reckon with in the Super Bowl.
They are currently embroiled in a messy contract impasse with All-Pro defensive end Trey Hendrickson. With Stewart’s contract also hitting a roadblock, defensive players might begin to have second thoughts about joining or staying on the team.
Shemar Stewart’s Bengals Standoff Stems from 2024 Numbers Dispute
First-round pick Shemar Stewart has yet to take part in the Bengals’ minicamp. The 21-year-old reportedly refused to take the field during rookie minicamp due to an issue with his contract.
New reports have emerged that shed more light on the contract standoff between Stewart and the Bengals.
The new reports suggest that the main point of contention in the negotiations appears to be related to metrics from 2024. However, the specifics of these metrics are not yet clear, but they seem to be a major factor in the stalled talks.
KEEP READING: Ex-Aggies Star Shemar Stewart’s Camp Day Turns Frustrating With Sideline Bengals Debut
Stewart has a Relative Athletic Score (RAS) of 10.00 out of 10.00, ranking him 1st out of 2,029 defensive ends from 1987 to 2025.
The former Texas A&M defensive end also recorded an impressive one full sack (0.5 against Florida in 2024 and 0.5 against Auburn in 2023) in SEC play in his final two seasons at Texas A&M.
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