THE Cincinnati Bengals are locked in one of the most interesting contract sagas ever seen.
Rookie first-round pick Shemar Stewart has yet to sign his contract with the Bengals.
Shemar Stewart is holding out from signing his rookie contract[/caption]
Stewart was a top defensive prospect in the NFL Draft[/caption]
Stewart is one of just four first-round rookies that have yet to sign their rookie deals.
His issue isn’t about the money though, it’s the clauses that the team is including in his deal.
Previous contracts included a clause that if a player got into any sort of trouble, their contract guarantees would be void.
Stewart’s contract included a change to that clause, meaning all of his guarantees for all four years would be void.
This is a completely new concept, and Stewart and his agent won’t accept being the guinea pigs.
“In my case, I’m 100 percent right,” Stewart said before leaving training camp this week.
“I’m not asking for nothing that’s never been done before.
“But in [the team’s] case, y’all just want to win an argument instead of winning more games, in my opinion.”
Stewart has yet to play a single snap for the Bengals, but already has a fractured relationship with the team.
If that relationship is irreparable, how do both sides move forward.
Well, there is actually a rule buried in the NFLPA’s agreement with the NFL that could give Stewart a second chance at the draft.
If he holds out on his contract and doesn’t sign by the time the 2026 NFL Draft rolls around, he can re-enter and be drafted by a new team.
However, that does mean he wasted an entire year of his career.
There are some other options that Stewart can try though if he doesn’t sign the contract.
First, he can request a trade out of Cincinnati to a team that is willing to give him a normal contract.
He could also go back to college, but it would likely require a legal battle.
He would also be considered a Bengals 2026 draft pick after that year in college, so it wouldn’t change anything.
Stewart could try playing in the UFL or CFL, but he would have to do so for three years to leave the Bengals.
The NFL’s collective bargaining agreement states that if a player participates in a rival league withing 12 months of being drafted, the team that picked him holds his rights for three years.
Stewart is in a tricky situation, and there seems to be no end in sight.
