Shemar Stewart gets surprisingly candid on contract dispute, calls out Bengals front office

Now approaching the two-month mark since the 2025 NFL Draft, Shemar Stewart remains one of five unsigned first-round picks. The Cincinnati Bengals selected the former Texas A&M pass rusher with the No. 17 overall pick and so far, it’s been nothing but a rocky relationship.

Now, Stewart is choosing not to participate in mandatory minicamp this week. Stewart is present but not practicing. The 21-year-old is frustrated by contract negotiations and called out the Bengals’ front office on Tuesday.

“I’m 100% right. It should be a no-brainer,” Stewart said, via James Rapien of Sports Illustrated. “In Trey’s [Hendrickson] case it should be a no brainer, too. … I’m not asking for nothing y’all have never done before. But y’all [Bengals] just want to win arguments more than winning games in my opinion.”

According to Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer, the reason for the dispute stems from Cincinnati trying to set a new precedent with rookie contracts that allows the team to void guarantees. Stewart wants his contract language to mirror that of the Bengals’ last two first-round pick picks, right tackle Amarius Mims and defensive end Myles Murphy. Stewart is adamant he will not practice until the contract situation is resolved.

“I’ve been doing this for most of my whole life, and then all of a sudden it’s gone over something very simple to fix,” Stewart told Conway. “It’s kind of disappointing.”

He continued, “I can’t say what I really want to say, but it’s their contract. They can do what they want with it.”

Shemar Stewart not on the field at mandatory minicamp

One of the most athletic players in this year’s draft, Stewart had a lot of potential upside to entice NFL teams. Stewart, despite his motor and elite speed and athleticism, recorded only 1.5 sacks per season in each of his three years in College Station. In three years at Texas A&M, Stewart recorded 65 tackles, 12.0 tackles for a loss, 4.5 sacks, two fumble recoveries, a forced fumble, a defensive touchdown and four passes defended.

The Bengals saw a player with his best football ahead of him. Perhaps one half of a scary duo off the edge alongside Hendrickson. But like Stewart, Hendrickson is not taking part in mandatory minicamp. Hendrickson is not in attendance as he seeks a long-term contract.

That’s two Bengals defensive ends unhappy with their contract status. Time will tell when/if these get resolved. With the start of the 2025 regular season rapidly approaching, head coach Zac Taylor is surely hoping it’s sooner rather than later.