It’s a bad day to be a Cincinnati Bengals defender. On second thought, it’s been a bad day to be a Bengals defender for a while now.
First, it was Trey Hendrickson, the NFL’s reigning sack king, airing his frustrations over a lack of communication from the Bengals front office. Now it’s Shemar Stewart, the team’s first-round pick, holding out of offseason workouts due to contract language disputes.
The Bengals are somehow managing to alienate both the veteran star who already proved he deserves more money and the rookie they drafted to potentially replace him.
According to Jordan Schultz, Stewart has yet to sign his rookie deal due to disagreements over bonus structure. He’s not asking for more money—just for the same terms the Bengals gave their last two first-rounders. That’s apparently too tall an ask. So now, instead of building continuity along the edge, Cincinnati is staring at a defensive front led by a disgruntled All-Pro and a rookie who’s already had it with the office politics.
Ravens fans can only laugh as Bengals’ front office finds new ways to screw up
You’d think after losing Sam Hubbard to early retirement and doing everything possible to alienate Hendrickson, the Bengals would be a little more eager to get Stewart locked in and on the field. But here we are—negotiating down to the sentence of a pre-slotted rookie deal, like it’s a game of contract chicken.
For Stewart, this is an awkward start. The No. 17 overall pick has already been asked to fill some massive shoes despite a college resume that looks more like a project than a plug-and-play starter. Now he’s being forced to wait around for money he thought came standard. Apparently for the Bengals, it’s just par for the course.
The funniest part for Ravens fans is all of this is unfolding after Stewart went on live TV and said Lamar Jackson was one of the quarterbacks he’d love to sack. It was a lighthearted moment, sure—but now the irony writes itself. Stewart isn’t chasing Lamar any time soon. He’s too busy stuck on the sidelines, waiting for a check to clear.
Even with all this unwillingness to pay their star players, the Bengals continue to pour resources into their wide receiver room while their defense implodes by the day. They’ve tied up over $275 million in Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, yet they can’t manage to smooth out $250,000 in bonus language for their first-rounder. It's honestly embarrassing.
Meanwhile in Baltimore, the Ravens have already exercised the fifth-year option on Odafe Oweh and signed Mike Green to a four-year rookie deal. That's how Baltimore's front office treats its premier pass rushers. Apparently—for no conceivable reason—things are done differently in Cincinnati.