Bengals Rookie Questions Team's Motivation in Contract Dispute
Bengals Rookie Questions Team's Motivation in Contract Dispute originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Cincinnati Bengals have a mess on their hands. And we're not even talking about the Trey Hendrickson contract extension debacle.
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Bengals first-round draft pick Shemar Stewart still hasn't taken his first practice with the team. In a show of good faith, he's in the building. He's around his new teammates.
But he's not practicing while he attempts to hammer out language in his contract that he thinks serves as a protection to him. He has yet to sign his rookie deal or his participation waiver as he tries to work with the Bengals on that language.
"In my case, I'm 100% right," Stewart said when asked by ESPN about how long the situation could last. "I'm not asking for nothing that's never been done before. In [the team's case], y'all just want to win an argument instead of winning more games, in my opinion."
Stewart doesn't believe he's the one holding things up in negotiations.
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He even has the support of some of his new teammates, who have reportedly told him that he's going about this the right way. After all, he's not asking for anything that the team hasn't given to other players. He just wants injury protection.
"It's made it very easy when the people in your locker room say you're doing the right things. Especially the star players," Stewart continued.
Stewart isn't the only one who's having contract difficulty with the Bengals right now.
Star defender Trey Hendrickson is looking for a long-term contract extension and has not reported to mandatory minicamp as he enters the final year of his current deal.
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Quarterback Joe Burrow said while all of this is certainly a distraction, it's part of the game.
"You'd love to have none, but that's life in the NFL," Burrow said of contract disputes. "We're all supporting Trey and would love for him to be back."
Related: Bengals vs. Rookie Shemar Stewart Feud Takes Brutal Twist at Minicamp
Related: Ex-Bengals Linebacker Signs With AFC Playoff Hopeful
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 12, 2025, where it first appeared.
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