Story by
Why is Shemar Stewart holding out? Explaining contract dispute with Bengals
- Story by
- Why is Shemar Stewart holding out? Explaining contract dispute with Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals opened mandatory minicamp on Tuesday, June 10. First-round rookie Shemar Stewart was in attendance to begin the week and has now departed for an early weekend. As his contract issues persist, the rookie has turned up the heat by leaving camp while awaiting a deal to be agreed upon.
Cincinnati has been unable to sign Stewart to his rookie contract, as the team and the 21-year-old are embroiled in a dispute over the deal.
Advertisement
Stewart made it clear during a Tuesday media availability that he is not happy with the lack of progress in the negotiations.
"I've been doing this for most of my whole life, and then all of a sudden it's gone over something very simple to fix," Stewart told reporters . "It's kind of disappointing."
On Thursday during media availability, Bengals ' head coach Zac Taylor called the holdout a learning experience for himself.
"There's a first for everything," Taylor said. "Every year, you kinda learn something new in this position, and this is just one of those things that the players have managed really well. We keep the team moving, and when he jumps on the field, that'll be great for our team."
Advertisement
There's no telling when that'll happen, however. Here's what to know about Stewart's holdout as it drags into the summer months.
Why is Shemar Stewart holding out?
Stewart is holding out because of a dispute over the language of his rookie contract.
According to Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer , the Bengals "are trying to change the language in the contract for their first-round pick that allows the team to void future guarantees."
Stewart has been adamant he deserves a deal that doesn't contain that language, as it wasn't included in the contracts of recent Cincinnati first-round picks Myles Murphy and Amarius Mims , both of whom were selected lower than Stewart (17th overall).
Advertisement
"I'm not asking for nothing y'all have never done before," Stewart told reporters Tuesday, referencing the Bengals. "But in y'all case, y'all just want to win arguments [more] than winning more games."
Stewart further explained he doesn't have a lot of recourse for the matter aside from holding out.
"I can't say what I really want to say," Stewart explained. "But it's 'their contract.' They can do what they want with it."
The 21-year-old is doing his best to stay ready for when the contract dispute is resolved.
"I still go to meetings. I still study my playbook," he said. "Taking down the right notes, and then whenever I get some free time, I go out to train."
Advertisement
Still, Stewart acknowledged nothing will be able to truly replace the practice reps on which he is missing out.
"I thought I'd be on the field by now."
BUSTED KNEES, A FRACTURED THROAT: Don't forget harsh price NFL players pay
NFL rookie contract values
It's worth noting Stewart and the Bengals aren't hung up on the total value of the first-round pick's contract.
The NFL implemented a rookie wage scale in 2011 as part of a then-new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) that ended the 2010 NFL lockout. The goal of the wage scale was to mitigate the rising costs of contracts awarded to high-drafted but unproven players while also ensuring that first-round draft picks receive fully guaranteed contracts.
Advertisement
Stewart was the 17th pick which gives him a slot value of $18,942,634, per Spotrac.com . Below is a full look at the cost of each first-round draft slot for 2025.
-
$48,757,500
-
$46,571,074
-
$45,179,746
-
$43,589,604
-
$40,806,872
-
$35,837,732
-
$31,862,416
-
$27,887,104
-
$27,688,114
-
$26,595,118
-
$24,905,620
-
$22,520,414
-
$21,924,122
-
$20,930,294
-
$20,532,790
-
$19,340,170
-
$18,942,634
-
$18,445,724
-
$18,147,572
-
$18,048,198
-
$17,948,806
-
$17,750,036
-
$17,551,274
-
$17,153,744
-
$16,954,982
-
$16,756,186
-
$16,557,446
-
$16,458,064
-
$15,660,564
-
$15,238,238
-
$14,884,470
-
$14,656,682
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why is Shemar Stewart holding out? Bengals contract dispute, explained
