Shemar Stewart's Contract from Bengals Reportedly Has Same Language as Cards, Seahawks

Shemar Stewart's holdout from the Cincinnati Bengals due to some of the language they want to include in his rookie contract is reportedly a fairly common practice used by other teams.

Per The Athletic's Jayna Bardahl and Paul Dehner Jr., the default language in the Bengals' offer is the same the Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks used to sign their 2025 first-round picks (Walter Nolen and Grey Zabel, respectively).

Those deals are notable specifically because they are the two players picked around Stewart in the draft. Nolen was selected No. 16 overall by the Cardinals. Zabel went No. 18 to the Seahawks.

Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio reported in May the issue for Stewart is over "a phrase" the Bengals want to include that would cause a default in the current year to trigger a default in future years and potentially void some of the guaranteed money.

ESPN's Ben Baby added, "According to a source with knowledge of the negotiations, the sticking point is language in the contract that could void guaranteed money in future years. For example, if Stewart were suspended, even for an on-field reason such as leading with the crown of the helmet or other similar penalties, that could eliminate future guarantees."

Baby continued, "According to a source with knowledge of the negotiations, the Bengals have examined similar language for other rookies around the NFL and believe the contract is the standard rookie deal. But part of Stewart's disagreement is that the Bengals are trying to set a precedent with this year's draft class regarding void language and guaranteed money."

Stewart, the No. 17 pick, told reporters on Tuesday during the team's mandatory minicamp that he's "100 percent right" and isn't asking for anything they haven't given before.

Florio noted the Bengals didn't use this language with 2024 first-round pick Amarius Mims, nor was it included in the deals they did earlier this offseason with Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.

Jay Morrison of BengalsTalk.com noted Stewart has received support from his teammates.

Another reason this situation is different is that Stewart is also refusing to take part in on-field drills while he remains unsigned. There are four unsigned first-round draft picks, including Stewart, but the other three have taken part in offseason activities with their teams.

Dehner noted Stewart didn't sign the injury waiver to participate in mandatory minicamp. The Texas A&M alum also left mandatory minicamp early on Thursday because of his contract dispute.

The Bengals have a history of prolonged contract negotiations. They are also embroiled in a standoff with Trey Hendrickson, in addition to everything happening with Stewart.

Their mandatory minicamp ended on Thursday, so they won't reconvene until training camp begins in July. If they haven't resolved their issue with Stewart by that point, then there will be real reasons to panic for a Bengals team that needs all of the help on defense it can get.