When the Cincinnati Bengals drafted edge rusher Shemar Stewart 17th overall from the Texas A&M Aggies in the 2025 NFL Draft, a lot of expected him to sign his contract right away and be on the field during the offseason programs. However, that has not been the case for Stewart, and he hasn’t signed his contract yet and has held out.
With this being the case, this has frustrated the Bengals fanbase, especially since they have not given edge rusher Trey Hendrickson a contract extension yet as well. Quarterback Joe Burrow has also voiced his displeasure about the Cincinnati front office not putting pen to paper the deals for both players yet also. Will Stewart finally be able to get on the field in training camp?
NFL Insider Reveals What Went On Behind the Scenes With Cincinnati Bengals Rookie Shemar Stewart
Ben Baby of espn.com talked about what has been occurring between Cincinnati and Stewart during the offseason. Baby said,
“Stewart was the only first-round pick who did not participate in offseason workouts, effectively conducting a “hold-in” as he tried to iron out contract language pertaining to guaranteed money that could be voided. Stewart was in team meetings and was a close observer during position drills. However, the situation escalated during minicamp, when he said the team was more interested in winning arguments than games, then left minicamp before the final day. Still, the coaching staff remains high on Stewart.
“It’s a lesson for him in the NFL — control what you can control,” defensive coordinator Al Golden said. “From our standpoint he’s done a good job in terms of the learning. We are as excited as anybody to get him out there.””
It is going to be interesting to see if Stewart signs his contract before training camp. If not, things are going to get very risky. A lot of people do not like what the Bengals front office has done, and this is not an issue with any other NFL franchise. Cincinnati needs to stop messing around and sign Stewart and Hendrickson before they lost them both to trades before the start of the 2025 NFL season.
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