CINCINNATI — NFL analyst Ross Tucker had some blunt thoughts on the Bengals’ latest contract headaches with Trey Hendrickson and Shemar Stewart.
He noted on his podcast that no NFL team should follow the Bengals’ ways of handling contract business.
“There’s always some type of contractual issue,” Tucker noted on his show. “The Shemar Stewart thing seems incredibly silly. I have no idea why they would be trying to force that issue (in the contract language). You know the Hendrickson thing. Maybe you can say he signed an extension, whatever, it’s just more often than not, if you watch contract situations if you’re an NFL owner ever, don’t handle it the way the Bengals do.”
It’s hard to argue against him, considering Cincinnati has not only aggravated its best defensive player over multiple seasons but also lost out on major contract value by waiting to sign Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to contracts this March.
Both players wanted long-term deals well before this past spring. Cincinnati even dragged the Joe Burrow extension right up near the first game of the season in 2023.
“It just feels like they ALWAYS have issues like this…”@RossTuckerNFL gives his thoughts on the various Bengals contract situations: pic.twitter.com/VY7Q9e1kBR
— Ross Tucker Podcast (@RossTuckerPod) June 11, 2025
