Bengals First-Round Pick Won't Practice Until Rookie Contract Issue Is Resolved

The Cincinnati Bengals' first-round draft pick Shemar Stewart is set to miss out on team practices this offseason until his rookie contract dispute is resolved,The Cincinnati Enquirer's Kelsey Conway reported on Tuesday.

Stewart already sat out of the Bengals' rookie minicamp this month for the same reason, and now he will continue to miss out on team practices until an agreement can be reached. It's not uncommon for first-round draft picks to still not have their rookie contracts signed by this point of the offseason—all of the the top five picks in the 2025 still haven't, for example. But, as the No. 17 pick, Stewart likely expected his contract to be finalized by now.

Rookies have a pay scale that determines their contracts. As the 17th pick, Stewart's contract will be a four-year rookie deal worth $18.9 million with a $10.4 million signing bonus. All first-round pick contracts also come with a fifth-year team option. Conway reported that Stewart would like his contract to reflect the Bengals' previous two first-round picks, Amarius Mims and Myles Murphy.

The hold-up seems to be regarding Stewart's training camp roster bonus, Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio reported earlier in the month. This bonus would help Stewart get more of his pay earlier in the year in future seasons.

On top of the Bengals working on Stewart's deal, their second-round pick Demetrius Knight Jr. also skipped out on rookie minicamp for contract reasons. Without Stewart, Cincinnati is missing two key defensive ends from practice as Trey Hendrickson also sits out while waiting for a contract extension. The Bengals have a lot to figure out in the coming months.