Bengals sign Shemar Stewart: First-round pick inks fully guaranteed rookie deal after lengthy holdout

The saga is finally over. Cincinnati Bengals first-round pick Shemar Stewart has reportedly signed his rookie deal after a dramatic holdout. According to ESPN, it’s a four-year, fully guaranteed $18.97 million contract that includes a $10.4 million signing bonus. 

The No. 17 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft is the final first-round selection to sign his rookie deal. His holdout was never about the deal being fully guaranteed or the amount in the contract (that all is predetermined). Rather, Stewart’s camp was reportedly upset over the potential voiding of future guarantees — language that was not present in rookie contracts of previous Bengals first-round picks.

According to NFL Media, Stewart got “improved payout language” that made him comfortable enough to take the practice field with his new teammates. It took a compromise to get this done: Stewart reportedly agreed to the Bengals’ new contract language, while Cincinnati moved $500,000 of Stewart’s signing bonus and paid it up front, instead of paying it in December. 

“I’m not asking for anything crazy,” Stewart told ESPN in May. “I’m not even asking for nothing. I just want things to be consistent. I just want consistent language as in the past contracts. I just won’t practice until I get that.”

Stewart was viewed as one of the top pass rushers in this past draft class. In three seasons for Texas A&M, he recorded 65 combined tackles, 12 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. While he didn’t put up the kind of prolific production other prospects did, the 21-year-old defensive end was viewed as a player with high upside. Stewart registered 65 pressures over the past two years, which was tied for eighth in the SEC.

With this holdout lasting so long, it led the football world to start wondering about Stewart’s options. He could have asked for a trade, held out all season and reentered the NFL Draft next year, or even taken his chances in court and fought for another year of college eligibility. CBS Sports college analyst Bud Elliott noted that Stewart had actually been working out at Texas A&M this summer! Ultimately, though, Cincinnati locks in its top draft pick. 

Next up for the Bengals is finding a way to get reigning NFL sack leader Trey Hendrickson to training camp.