The Cincinnati Bengals signed multi-year extensions worth over $100 million combined to Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, but have become locked in contract disputes with Trey Hendrickson and rookie Shemar Stewart.
Stewart has yet to sign his rookie contract, and neither he nor the team has budged as the NFL’s summer break begins.
Shemar Stewart Holdout Threatens Bengals Training Camp Over Contract Language
Stewart posted 4.5 sacks over three seasons at Texas A&M. However, he vaulted up draft boards after exceptional athletic testing at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine.
At 6’5″, 267 lbs, Stewart ran a 4.59 40-yard dash, had a 40″ vertical jump, and a 10’11” broad jump. The athletic performance for a player of that size elevated him on teams’ draft boards, with the Bengals selecting him No. 17 overall in April’s draft.
The Texas A&M product is one of two first-round picks yet to sign their contracts, and a resolution doesn’t seem to be coming soon. NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe recently broke down the situation on an episode of “The Insiders” and gave a concerning update for Bengals fans.
Wolfe said, “The Bengals and Shemar Stewart are still at an impasse. Holdouts are rare, but not impossible, in this new CBA … The Bengals are trying to create a new precedent with Shemar Stewart, putting language in his contract on voiding for particular off-the-field incidents that would void the guarantees in the deal.
“Shemar’s team, they don’t want to be a guinea pig for this particular motive. They’ll say that last year’s first-round pick he didn’t have to sign these deals. All of a sudden, there’s a stare-down going on.”
Insight into the ongoing Shemar Stewart-Bengals contract impasse over guarantee void language & precedent for @nflnetwork The Insiders: pic.twitter.com/OdPkS9LJDp
— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) June 25, 2025
Cincinnati selected Amarius Mims with the 18th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. The team didn’t sign Mims until late July, but his contract didn’t include the language issues that Stewart’s does. With Stewart being taken one spot higher than Mims in this year’s draft, his representatives don’t want the contracts to differ.
Wolfe continued, “Right now, there’s a lot of posturing going on. There’s no imminent deal, and from what I understand, Shemar is willing to linger this out through training camp if there’s no deal.”
Stewart’s contract impasse comes as Cincinnati faces multiple roster challenges. After signing Chase and Higgins to major contracts, the team became locked in a contract dispute with Hendrickson. Stewart was drafted to be Hendrickson’s eventual replacement, but the Bengals currently have neither available.
Cincinnati’s defense was the primary reason the team failed to make the playoffs last season. If the Bengals begin the regular season without their top two pass rushers, the team risks wasting another year of Joe Burrow’s prime. Stewart’s four-year rookie contract is worth $18.94 million fully guaranteed.
