THE Cincinnati Bengals are facing a major headache with first-round pick Shemar Stewart.
Pass rusher Stewart, 21, was selected with the 17th overall pick in last month’s NFL Draft.
But the newest Bengals star is holding out of practice.
He has yet to sign his contract with the team and not participated in offseason workouts.
The power move from the rookie is a big problem for Cincinnati.
The holdout is reportedly over some of the language in the contract.
Stewart will earn $18.9 million over his four-year rookie deal with a $10.4 million signing bonus.
The value of contracts for rookies selected in the draft is already set by the league.
According to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, Stewart’s holdout is related to how much of his bonus is for training camp.
NBC’s Florio reported, “The training-camp roster bonus has become a device for putting a sizable chunk of the player’s pay in his pockets in future years, early in the season.
“In this case, the numbers offered by the Bengals reflected a lower percentage than the 17th overall pick received in 2024.”
The team is facing a nightmare on the defensive side of the ball.
Trey Hendrickson’s 10-word message to Cincinnati Bengals drops major hint he’s willing to quit team over contract
Star pass rusher Trey Hendrickson insists he will not play in 2025 unless he gets a new deal.
He spoke with reporters for around 20 minutes last week while Bengals voluntary workouts were happening.
He stands to earn $15.8 million in the final year of his current deal.
But the market for pass rushers was reset by Myles Garrett’s new contract with the Cleveland Browns worth $40 million a year.
Hendrickson was the NFL’s sack leader in 2024 and has been to the Pro Bowl in each of the last four seasons.
“We’ve tried to keep it as least amount as personal as possible, but at some point in this process it’s becomes personal,” Hendrickson said.
“Being sent 30 days before mandatory camp, or how many ever days it is, that if I don’t show up I will be fined alludes to the fact that something won’t get done in that time frame.
“I don’t have predictive analysis, I’ve been hoping for the best through this entire process.
“The only thing that alluded to fines in my book was the text I got yesterday from Zac.
“I knew fines are there, we clearly saw that on multiple fronts since I’ve been here, so fines are a part of the NFL, right?
“We’ll take them as they come.
“I thought this was a little early to talk about fines, personally, with how I’ve conducted myself in protecting the organization, the place that’s provided for my family, and play football in the National Football League.”
