Holdouts used to be pretty common for high draft picks in the NFL, which is one of the biggest reasons why the CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement) has contract parameters in place for literally every pick in the NFL Draft. Teams are supposed to be able to copy and paste the numbers, essentially, and get guys signed as quickly as possible.
The process is meant to be mutually beneficial to the team and player. Players drafted high get bigger salaries and guaranteed money while teams don't have to barter over too much contract language. That is, unless you're the Cincinnati Bengals, apparently.
The Bengals are having major issues with 2025 1st-round pick Shemar Stewart, who called out the franchise in a very public way before leaving mandatory minicamp altogether amidst a contract dispute. Stewart's situation is very uncommon in today's NFL and it seems like the Bengals are hung up on wanting some clauses written into Stewart's deal to recoup guaranteed money.
And Stewart is understandably not budging on that front.
So what options does Stewart have? What options do the Bengals have? We could be headed toward a relatively unprecedented result in the near future.
Bengals should trade Shemar Stewart before training camp
Yes, the Cincinnati Bengals need defensive help. Yes, cool heads could prevail, and the Bengals could very well just give Stewart what he wants. In that case, he could be back on the field as soon as Day 1 of training camp. But now, he's missed the entire offseason program. He's developed a sour taste in his mouth for the organization. And frankly, with the way Stewart has responded to the situation publicly, calling out the organization for not only mishandling his situation but also that of star pass rusher Trey Hendrickson, it's possible they have soured on their 1st-round pick as well.
Stewart could just hold out the entire year, miss a year of football, and re-enter the 2026 NFL Draft. That's not an ideal scenario at all.
Aside from getting a deal done and calling it water under the bridge, the ideal outcome here if bridges have already been burned might be for the Bengals to trade Stewart and cut their losses. It would be an unprecedented move, as we've never really seen someone get drafted in the 1st round and then months later get traded to a new team before signing his deal, but that might be the best for all parties.
The Bengals are obviously mismanaging the situation, and Stewart is already going to have this situation in mind for if he ever plays well and earns a new contract. Why would he want to be in Cincinnati where they are already proving they won't pay their best defenders what they're worth?
Plenty of teams likely had high enough grades on Stewart to trade something good for him, maybe not a 1st-round pick in next year's draft, but perhaps a package of picks equating to that.
The Bengals need to make plans for the season to actually upgrade their defense. It was horrendous last year and it wasn't just Lou Anarumo's play-calling that was a problem. The player personnel was not good enough.
As of right now, the Bengals need Shemar Stewart more than he really needs the Bengals, but a player like him also can't really afford to miss a year of football. We've reached a sticky portion of this situation where the ideal scenario for both sides might be to trade the 1st-round pick before he ever takes the field.