The Cincinnati Bengals will soon start contract negotiations with second-round pick Cashius Howell. Due to when Howell was drafted, his contract may be tough for both sides to reach an agreement immediately.
Let it be known this is not manifesting a problem, but bringing awareness of its potential existence in the very near future.
The Cincinnati Bengals could be dealing with another contentious contract negotiation this offseason.
Cincinnati dealt with Trey Hendrickson and Shemar Stewart ’s separate sagas last year. The club is on track to start talks with cornerbacks DJ Turner II and Dax Hill . Chase Brown will want clarification about a potential deal as well.
Signing the new crop of NFL Draft picks will come first, and that includes second-round pick Cashius Howell .
Turner, Hill, and Brown have all established themselves as starters for the Bengals. Howell has never even worn a practice jersey, and yet, his contract may be the most agonizing for Cincinnati to deal with.
Howell was the No. 41 pick in last week’s draft. That matters significantly for Cincy as there’s never been a player picked that late who has received a fully guaranteed rookie contract.
That’s not the case for picks 1-40.
Last year saw the beginning of players drafted near the top of the second round command and therefore receive fully guaranteed deals. It started with Houston Texans wide receiver Jayden Higgins , the No. 34 pick in the 2025 draft, getting 100% of his four-year, $11,700,824 deal guaranteed. This forced the Cleveland Browns to sign the No. 33 pick, linebacker Carson Schwesinger , to a 100% guaranteed contract as well.
Picks 35-39 would follow suit, but it ended with New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough , the No. 40 pick. Shough was going to be a rookie starting quarterback and stood firm with that leverage.
Howell’s agents at Excel Sports Management have incentive to use Shough’s deal to push the cutoff line even further into the round. They wouldn’t have this angle if Howell was picked anywhere else after No. 40.
The Bengals just so happened to have the exact pick for this situation to potentially occur.
We know the playbook. Cincinnati doesn’t budge when it comes to guarantees it doesn’t have to give out. There has never been a player picked outside the first 40 picks who received a 100% guaranteed contract.
That’s the precedent, and the front office will refer it to Howell’s agents.
The No. 41 pick from last year’s draft was Buffalo Bills defensive tackle T.J. Sanders . Sanders’ deal was signed a day before Shough inked his, and he accepted 94.6% of his deal being guaranteed instead of 100%. He knew he didn’t have the leverage of being a starting QB, and created the new line of demarcation.
Cincinnati will expect Howell to realize the same. He’s going to be a rotational EDGE in a deep defensive line group. Can he afford to let an elongated negotiation get in the way of preparing for his rookie season with the rest of the team? His former teammate, Shemar Stewart, tried that last year in an effort to have offset language excluded in his rookie deal as the No. 17 pick, but ultimately settled for receiving more of his guaranteed money immediately.
Howell’s potential situation won’t be the same as Stewart’s, but for the average fan, it would feel all too familiar. This wouldn’t even be a problem worth discussing if he was picked anywhere else in the round.
This may also be resolved very quickly, instantly becoming old news. All parties involved would prefer that path. It simply comes down to whether or not Howell’s side wants to push the Bengals into setting a new precedent.
