Back to school? Back to the design? Shemar Stewart was able to take advantage of gaps in the chaotic rule book to burn Bengals

When it comes to rookie contracts in the NFL, there are usually not too much negotiations. Thanks to the 2011 collective bargaining agreement, every draft contract is essentially planned due to the rookie wage scale, which means that every player knows how much they earn as soon as they are moved in.

This means that the negotiation of a rookie contract should not be so difficult unless they are the Cincinnati -bengals. The Bengals seem to invent new ways to frustrate their fans (and players) every year, and that happens again this year.

The draft pick of the team, the Texas A & M Pass Rusher Shemar Stewart, appeared at OTAS, but he did not take part in a single training session this spring because he has not yet signed his contract. He also appeared for 48 hours during a vertebral storm in the first two days of the Minicamp, in which he previously observed the training abandoned beforehand To the final last meeting of the camp. He did not do any activities on the field in these 48 hours, but he did it Time to complain about Cincinns Front OfficeWhat seems Be a topic for Bengal's player This low season.

We know that it's not about money. Both sides know that Stewart will sign a four-year rookie contract of $ 18.94 million that is fully guaranteed. The 17th overall election in the NFL design of 2025 complained because the Bengals have thrown a curve ball with it in their contract negotiations by adding new ones Language To his deal, which the Bengals did not use with their last two picks in the first round. According to the former NFL team manager Andrew Brandt, the team would essentially add a standard clause. This would enable the Bengal to alleviate future guarantees if he would get into trouble (this could be suspended for behavior on the field, the behavior outside the field, an arrest or everything else that the Bengals can think about). Usually a selection in the first round receives a fully guaranteed four -year contract, but this would give the Bengals a scope to possibly get difficulty during his four -year deal.

Stewart is relentless against the language in his contract.

“I am 100 percent right,” said Stewart about his attitude. “I don't ask for nothing that you have never done before, but in your case you all want to win one argument instead of winning more games.”

This has created the sharp break between a rookie and his team since Joey Bosa was equipped from Chargers' training camp for 31 days in 2016.

The Bengals play with Stewart Hardball, and in the past it usually worked for them, but this time Stewart has at least one leverage that had no money in the past: money.

• Stewarts lever. For most of the NFL history, the newcomers were generally bankrupt when they entered the league, so that many of them quickly sign their first contract so that they could get the signing bonus in their pockets. However, this is not the case with Stewart. The former Texas A & M -Star has collected a lot of zero money in college, so he is definitely not broke what can afford to wait until he can bring the Bengals to the cave if he wants to do it.

If the Bengals are not ready to change the language in the contract, this next question will be: How far would Stewart be ready to go to get what he wants?

This week was asked this week and he said: “It depends.”

Stewart is the prototype of the money and player tempowerment -Säras, who has hit College Football Recruiting and College Football and has now reached the NFL. He was a top -class recruit when he was in Florida High School in the second year and made number 1 in the 2022 class in the early ranking (he ended No. 9 in 9th place). He feels comfortable in the spotlight. He speaks money a player of his ILK in college football at least $ 1 million in the last transmission portal cycles, and you can bet that the NIL collectives from Texas A&M spent a pretty penny to keep Stewart in recruitment after his notorious, most-class money-can-Buy 2022 recruit lesson.

Stewart can also keep a resentment. There is a famous history of maps about Stewart from his days as a recruit.

Stewart was a heavy LSU lean and made Baton Rouge his first stop on his official visiting. The LSU operations employee missed Stewart's names for one of the many handouts and welcome brochures that receive recruits. Afterwards, LSU was never a factor for Stewart.

Stewart signed at Texas A&M in a little stunner for a day after the hometown Miami had done a big boost. It is believed that Texas A&M has paid more. Stewart's people I heard this week are driven by the principle that they want what they believe and they will not compromise if they don't get it.

Stewart has several options and he could quickly turn into the worst nightmare of the Bengals (and the NFL) if it decides to enter the draft for a nuclear option next year, a process that is presented in Article 6 of the CBA.

Here is a look at two of his options that he would have if he does not want to sign the Bengal:

• He was able to enter the NFL design again. If Stewart does not sign his contract and he does not play football at all in 2025, he could enter the NFL design again in 2026. If he went this path, this means that every team could design it next year, with the exception of the Bengals. If a player successfully deducted such a power movement, he could throw a wrench into the future of the design. It would set up potential situations in which a player could expose if he were driven in by a team for which he did not want to play. Stewart essentially had time until November to make a decision about it. He may sign his rookie contract until Tuesday after the 10th week. If he cannot sign it at this time, he is not allowed to play in 2025. If this strategy still has one upward trend: if Stewart 2026 and draped – maybe his situation was frightened with the Bengals if he dealt with another free free agent, and he has dealt with another free agent, and he has done another one who was done.
• He could ask for a trade. If the Bengals do not give him the contractual language he wants, maybe someone else will do it. There is a unique deadline for every team who wants to exchange a rookie: A deal must be completed at least 30 days before the start of the regular season. A decision would have to be made here by August 5th or 8th (the CBA is not clear whether it is 30 days before the start of the first game of the regular season or 30 days before the first game of the Bengals of the season). The Bengals do not like to be bullied, so this scenario would probably be unlikely, but it would be an option.

These are the two most practical options, but there is also a wildcard option: Stewart could try to return to Texas A&M for his final year.

During the episode of the cover 3 podcast on Monday, the CBS Sports College -Analyst Bud Elliott found that Stewart actually worked at Texas A&M this summer.

“A guy who had a few good A&M things in the past, he did me, he says: 'Hey, Shemar could return here,'” said Elliott.

Elliott then said his source had a few more nuggets.

“'He was in the college station, he was fully involved in workouts, he stays with the Bengals, (the) relationship is poisonous. He could try to play again this season and go back to the draft next year.”

The NCAA has rules against a player who returns to college after the outcome. Therefore, he would probably face a legal dispute if he could go this way, but it could be something he is considering. And as Elliott noted, it seems that everything with NCAA is currently subject to legal disputes, so Stewart could certainly be victorious if he decided to go to court.

Stewart could also go to the CFL to stay in football, but he would probably not go this way, because if he signs with another professional football league, this would give his NFL rights to the Bengals for the next three years.

The most likely scenario is that the two sides agree to a deal, but as the Bosa situation has proven, these things can wear. If the Bengals are excavated on something, do not usually stir, so it is interesting to see who gains this multi -million dollar chicken game.

The Bengals had slow starts under Zac Taylor in the history and some of them had to do with controversial contract negotiations. Yeah'Mar Chase expired from the training camp with his contract last year due to misfortune, and the Bengals offensive looked out of the synchronization to start the season.

Even Joe Burrow seems to be full. The QB was asked whether Trey Hendrickson's absence was a distraction, and he replied with two words: “Of course.”

“We had two last year. This year we have one,” said Burrow about the holding stops that the Bengals are dealing with. “So we have less. You would like none, but that's life in the NFL.”

If you score at home, this means that the Bengals sack of 2024 (Hendrickson) and the Pass -Rusher, which is supposed to complement him in defense (Stewart), sit both.

The Bengals had one of the worst defense in the NFL last season, and now there is a chance that Stewart and Hendrickson may be able to suspend both training camps, which the unit will certainly not improve. It is another frustrating low season for Bengal's fans who are probably used to it at that time.