Shemar Stewart Reportedly Leaves Bengals' Mandatory Minicamp amid Contract Dispute

Shemar Stewart is no longer at mandatory minicamp amid his ongoing holdout with the Cincinnati Bengals over language they want to put into his rookie contract.

Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, Stewart left Kettering Health Practice Fields, which is where the Bengals are holding their mandatory minicamp, due to his contract dispute.

Stewart, the No. 17 overall pick, is one of four remaining unsigned first-round selections from the 2025 draft. His situation appears to be the most contentious from that group.

Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio reported on May 24 that the issue between Stewart and the Bengals involves "a phrase" in the contract that would allow "a default in the current year to trigger a default in all remaining years."

Florio noted the Bengals didn't use that language in Amarius Mims' rookie deal last year after taking him No. 18 overall.

Florio also outlined Stewart's options amid the dispute, one of which being that he could theoretically "refuse to sign at all" until the 2026 draft, allowing him to re-enter the draft pool and be selected by any team other than the Bengals.

Addressing the situation at the start of mandatory minicamp on Tuesday, Stewart told reporters he's "100 percent right" and the issue is "something very simple to fix."

Per Spotrac, the value of the 17th pick is worth $18.9 million with a $10.4 million signing bonus.

Stewart hasn't taken part in any on-field activities dating back to OTAs last month while waiting for a resolution to his contract standoff.

The Bengals have also been without Trey Hendrickson, who led the NFL with 17.5 sacks last season, for any on-field activities this offseason due to his desire for a new deal.

Since Thursday marks the final day of mandatory minicamp for the Bengals, Stewart's decision to leave doesn't necessarily make this situation a bigger deal than it is.

The next key point on the calendar for the Bengals and Stewart will be late July when they reconvene for training camp. If the situation isn't resolved by then, the organization runs the risk of this dragging into the regular season.