From the moment he was drafted, Shemar Stewart has done absolutely nothing to win fans over, whether we're talking about Cincinnati Bengals fans or otherwise. His on-stage interview with NFL Network's Jamie Erdahl was awkward, to the point that she asked why Stewart was "mad" on live television.
He made a horrible first impression, and nothing has changed over the last month. Stewart was already a bit of a controversial first-round pick for reasons we'll discuss in a moment, but he's become one of the most talked-about first-round picks for the worst possible reason.
Shemar Stewart not showing up to Bengals OTAs over contract issue
It's not uncommon for there to be a few contract disputes between teams and rookies each year, but they are minimal and don't usually make headlines. The reason for that is very simple: Rookie contracts are pre-determined by the NFL's Collective Bargaining Agreement with the NFLPA. Rookie contracts have a specific value per pick slot, making it relatively easy for teams to get these guys on-boarded.
Easy for most, apparently. Not easy for Shemar Stewart.
Stewart is already going to get a hefty rookie contract as the 17th overall pick in this year's draft. Dallas Turner, the 17th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, received a fully guaranteed four-year deal worth a shade under $15.77 million and around $8.3 million in the form of a signing bonus.
I'm sure Turner has a good reason for holding out with the Bengals and missing OTAs, but the perception from the outside looking in is that this guy is on the fast track to becoming a massive bust from this year's draft class.
He was already a contested first-rounder because of his production at Texas A&M. Sacks are not the only way to measure pass rush productivity, but Stewart played 37 games at Texas A&M and only had 4.5 sacks. That's an incredibly low number. He posted great numbers at the NFL Scouting Combine and had a lot of pressures, but his sack numbers being so low were already cause for some concern.
His attitude on the stage after being drafted by the Bengals was another red flag.
For a third red flag to be popping up before this guy even takes the field for an offseason program with the Bengals is a horrible omen for his future in the NFL. Hopefully, for his and the Bengals' sake, they can get this situation resolved and get him on the field as soon as possible. They're going to need him for 2025.