Bengals Court Controversy Again after 1st Round Pick Remains Unsigned due to ‘Surprising’ Contract Clause

Cincinnati Bengals drafted Shemar Stewart with the No. 17 pick out of Texas A&M to help build their pass rushing group.

Bengals Court Controversy Again after 1st Round Pick Remains Unsigned due to ‘Surprising’ Contract Clause

Shemar Stewart wants clause removed before signing rookie contract (Image via Ari Meirov/X)

The Cincinnati Bengals have a reputation for being stingy when handing out contract extensions. So far, that stinginess was restricted to star players or those coming close to the end of their contracts. Now, 2025’s first-round pick Shemar Stewart seems to have felt the brunt of it.

Most of the first round picks from the 2025 NBA Draft have signed their rookie contracts. The Texas A&M star has not yet signed on the dotted line after the Bengals added a clause that they have not handed out to any other draftee before.

The franchise is probably trying to set a precedent here when it comes to such clauses. Stewart wants the clause to be removed before he agrees to the deal. So far, his representatives and the Bengals front office are in negotiations, but since he did not suit up for practice, reporters asked him about the contract standoff.

In my case, I’m 100% right. It should be a no-brainer. I’m not asking for nothing y’all have never done before. But y’all (Bengals) just want to win an argument instead of winning more games, in my opinion.

Shemar Stewart said

Despite sitting out of practice, the 21-year-old clarified that he is attending team meetings and taking notes during film study. At the same time, he is continuing to keep his conditioning at the level that the Cincinnati Bengals expect him to be. However, that clause has to go, else he is not willing to take to the field.

Bengals added a clause to save themselves from future guaranteed money

When the Cincinnati Bengals signed quarterback Joe Burrow, the other star players, or even their draft picks in the past, they were stingy, but never went to the extent of adding additional clauses. This time, they started to add this clause to rookie contracts. NBC’s Mike Florio detailed what the clause does for them.

Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the Bengals want to include a phrase that causes a default in the current year to trigger a default in all remaining years.

Mike Florio detailed in his report

As per Florio, last year’s Bengals first-round draft pick, Amarius Sims, did not have any such clause in his contract. It was then learned that the 2025 second-round pick, Demetrius Knight Jr., also had that clause in his contract.

He, too, has yet to sign it, however, unlike Shemar Stewart, he has been participating in drills at this minicamp. The rookie has the support of the locker room and wants to make sure the franchise does not get its way when dealing with players.

Bengals star DE Trey Hendrickson also holding out of minicamp

Shemar Stewart is waiting for that clause to be removed so that he can get going in practice. His defensive line teammate and the team’s best pass rusher, Trey Hendrickson, is also missing from camp. As per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the 30-year-old is skipping mandatory minicamp until his contract is finalized.

Trey Hendrickson skips mandatory minicamp as he awaits a new contract
Trey Hendrickson skips mandatory minicamp as he awaits a new contract (Image via Polymarket Football/X)

Usually, that means he will be levied fines, but it does not seem to matter to the star edge rusher, who has made it clear he wants to be paid. Joe Burrow has been advocating for Hendrickson to be given what he deserves, but so far, nothing has materialized.

If the Cincinnati Bengals could hand out standard-setting contracts to Burrow and wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, then they can do the same with their best defensive player. It seems the franchise is ironing out a compromise with Hendrickson’s representatives.

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