Shemar Stewart, Bengals Agree to $18.9M Rookie Contract After OTAs Absence

Shemar Stewart is officially signed.

The edge-rusher signed his four-year, $18.9 million deal with the Cincinnati Bengals on Friday after being the No. 17 overall pick at this year's NFL draft, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

The deal includes a $10.4 million signing bonus.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport provided more details on how the deal crossed the finish line:

While the NFL has rookie-scale contracts that essentially lock into place the overall value of the deal, teams and players can negotiate details like the amount of guaranteed money.

Stewart chose to sit out the team's rookie minicamp in early May, with disagreements over guaranteed money reportedly the reason.

As Andrew Brandt of SI.com reported in June, "According to reports, the Bengals want language that would require Stewart to forfeit future guarantees—which could be significant—if there is a 'default.' A default could be discipline, a suspension, a positive drug test or whatever could trigger the team declaring such 'default.' The Bengals have not inserted language in their rookie contracts such as this before, and didn't do so with last year's No. 18 pick, Amarius Mims."

Brandt noted that such language would have set a new precedent for contracts, which Stewart and his agent clearly weren't keen to abide.

Last year, Cincy's first-round pick, offensive tackle Amarius Mims, didn't sign his deal until July, ultimately negotiating a fully-guaranteed contract in the process.

Now that Stewart has signed on the dotted line, the hope for the Bengals is that he helps to invigorates a pass rush that was fairly inept outside of Trey Hendrickson (17.5 sacks), who accounted for nearly half of the team's 36 sacks.

And given that Hendrickson's future with the team was murky this offseason, addressing the edge was an absolute must.

Stewart, 21, only registered 4.5 sacks in three seasons for Texas A&M and 65 total tackles, but he makes up for it with elite athletic traits and the ability to pressure the quarterback.

Time will tell if it all translates to the NFL game. But Bengals' fans can finally breathe easy, with Stewart officially signed.