A player holding out is nothing new. Countless have done it before, and countless more will in the future, although we’ve seen more “hold-ins” recently. In 99.99% of the time, the reason is money. The player is either in the last year of his deal/got franchise tagged, or he thinks he’s underpaid. A rookie holding out, though, is something we’ve seen only a few times since 2011, which makes Stewart’s situation more interesting.
Stewart is one of the few first-round rookies who have yet to sign their contracts. It’s not uncommon for a rookie to sign their contract closer to training camp, so this, by itself, isn’t a headline. Amarius Mims, whom the Bengals selected in 2024, only signed his contract in late July. If the rookie has not signed the contract, he’ll sign a practice waiver. This waiver serves as a protection mechanism for the player in case something happens during practice. Shemar Stewart opted not to sign the waiver.
Since the 2011 CBA, when rookie contracts became fixed, there’s not much to discuss. When there’s any news about a dispute, it’s something smaller. When Joey Bosa held out in 2016, it was about offset language and when he’d be paid. Stewart’s case is the only major one I can remember since the aforementioned CBA.
What is Stewart’s problem?
Shemar Stewart decided not to practice and later hold out entirely because of a default language. This language is to void the guarantees of the contract if Stewart is in a mishap. The problem is that a lot of things can be a mishap, especially with Mike Brown’s recent track record. After all, how can a player trust the owner not to pull his rug, given the recent events in Cincinnati?
To be fair to the Bengals, this language isn’t new or rare. Matter of fact, more than half the teams have languages like that in their rookie contracts. The problem is that the Bengals aren’t one of them. So, when the team told Stewart that they’d add a language that wasn’t in previous contracts, he got understandably mad.
Things escalated quickly during the Bengals’ mandatory minicamp this week. Initially attending but not practicing, Stewart said on Tuesday that he wanted to get on the field “as fast as I can”. Two days later, he left.
“I’m 100 percent right, I’m not asking for nothing y’all have never done before. But in y’all case, y’all just want to win an argument instead of winning more games.”
The Bengals are now without their projected pass rushers, as Trey Hendrickson is adamant about not playing without a new contract. It’s more likely than not that Stewart and the Bengals will find some common ground eventually, but if they don’t, the situation gets more interesting (at least for those who aren’t Bengals fans).
If the Bengals decide to throw in the towel and trade him, they have until August 5 to do so. If Stewart hasn’t signed his contract by November 11, he won’t be eligible to play this season. The more ballistic outcome is for Stewart to sit out entirely and re-enter the Draft in 2026. If this happens, the other 31 teams would have the right to draft him like he’s a normal player, and the Bengals wouldn’t be able to select him again.
It’s extremely rare for a player to enter the Draft, get picked, not play, and enter the Draft again. The most well-known example is Bo Jackson, but he didn’t play in the NFL because he chose to play in the MLB first.
If you enjoyed this article please follow us here on MSN! Thank you for reading and have a great day!
Here is a recent article another writer of ours did on Every NFL Team’s Worst First Round Draft Pick Of The Last 10 Years
