The Cincinnati Bengals are once again in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. Despite boasting a top-tier offense and making major strides in recent years, the team’s latest standoff with first-round rookie defensive end Shemar Stewart is raising eyebrows across the NFL.
A seemingly minor contract clause has turned into a major impasse, and ESPN’s Adam Schefter has shed light on the peculiar details.
Unusual Contract Clause Sparks Tension Between Bengals, Shemar Stewart
In an appearance on a recent episode of “The Pat McAfee Show“, Schefter revealed that the core issue centers around a new contract clause the Bengals are attempting to introduce. This clause, which affects the forfeiture of guaranteed money, is not standard in NFL rookie contracts.
“The clause that is in this contract isn’t normal and that’s why Shemar Stewart is objecting the way he is..
The Bengals need him as a player and they already don’t have Trey Hendrickson in there” @AdamSchefter #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/z7lB8fdYKI
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) June 12, 2025
“It’s not a normal clause,” Schefter said. “That’s why Shemar Stewart is objecting the way he is.”
The clause in question reportedly stipulates that Stewart would lose guaranteed money if he were not on the roster through the entirety of his contract. This type of stipulation challenges the foundational protection rookies were granted under the most recent collective bargaining agreement (CBA), which made first-round salaries fully guaranteed. Stewart and his agent have refused to be “guinea pigs” for a clause that no other Bengals contract has included before.
Stewart, the No. 17 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, had been attending minicamp despite being unsigned, a move Schefter found unusual. That changed on the final day of mandatory minicamp, as Stewart was no longer present. Schefter confirmed that he will not return until the contract is resolved.
“As an unsigned rookie, first-round draft pick… the biggest statement you could make is not being in the building,” Schefter said.
The Bengals, already struggling with disgruntled star Trey Hendrickson, who is refusing to play without a new deal, are losing valuable time to integrate a much-needed defensive asset. Stewart is expected to play a key role in revitalizing a defense that ranked 28th in PFSN’s Defense+ metric in 2024.
That collapse came despite quarterback Joe Burrow leading the NFL in yards (4,918) and touchdowns (43), and completing a career-best 70.6% of his passes.
The front office’s insistence on this clause is baffling, especially when former agent Joel Corry highlighted that very few items in rookie deals remain negotiable under the CBA.
By drawing a line in the sand over this, the Bengals risk derailing a rookie’s development and weakening an already fragile defense.
Stewart summarized the situation bluntly this week.
Some very frank and direct comments from Shemar Stewart, and why he continues to feel he’s 100 percent right to sit out. Clearly very upset and frustrated with Bengals that he is not signed and on the field. pic.twitter.com/WawvWU8QKu
— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) June 10, 2025
“I’m 100 percent right,” he said, per The Athletic. He also added that, in his opinion, the Bengals prefer to “win an argument instead of winning more games.”
With Stewart’s camp digging in and Hendrickson still holding out, Cincinnati’s defensive hopes in 2025 are already on shaky ground. The real battle may not be on the field, but in the front office.