NFL Team Owner Addresses Draft Pick Controversy As Training Camp Begins

The Cincinnati Bengals are days away from the start of training camp, but two big names are already casting a shadow over the field. One is star pass rusher Trey Hendrickson, who is still waiting on a new deal. The other is rookie first-round pick Shemar Stewart, whose holdout over contract language has turned into one of the most closely watched standoffs in the league.

Stewart, the 17th overall pick out of Texas A&M, has yet to sign his rookie contract. He walked out on the final day of mandatory minicamp, not because of injury or attitude, but because of what’s written—or not written—into his deal. He has been clear that he doesn’t want to take the field until the issue is resolved.

The standoff isn’t about money, at least not in the usual sense. Instead, it centers on the specific protections tied to future guarantees. According to multiple reports, the Bengals are pushing to include language that would allow them to void certain guarantees if Stewart violated league discipline rules. Stewart’s camp points to last year’s first-round pick, Amarius Mims, who signed without such restrictions.

Bengals executive Duke Tobin didn’t hold back when he spoke to reporters. “I think Shemar needs to be here,” Tobin said. “I’m not going to blame Shemar. He is listening to the advice he is paying for. I don’t understand or believe or agree with the advice, but I’m not the one paying for it.” Tobin added that the team has treated Stewart the same way they have treated other first-rounders, and he can’t see why this is any different.

Stewart has his own view of the situation. At minicamp, before leaving, he told reporters, “I’m 100% right. I’m not asking for nothing y’all have never done before. But in y’all case, y’all just want to win arguments more than winning more games.” Those words still hang in the air as the team prepares to open camp.

Head coach Zac Taylor described communication with Stewart as “good” before his departure, but the tone around the organization is undeniably tense. Even team owner Mike Brown weighed in, calling the dispute “a very peculiar thing.” Brown explained that the sticking point isn’t performance or compensation—it’s about what happens if a player acts in a way that violates league conduct standards. “I don’t think that’s going to happen ever,” Brown said. “That’s what’s holding it up. It’s never happened as long as I can remember.”

Brown then described the scenario Stewart’s agent is concerned about: “If he acted in a terrible fashion—this is all hypothetical—something that rises to the level of going to prison, we’d be on the line for the guarantee. If we get a player who does something unacceptable, guess what? I don’t want to pay him.”

With camp set to open July 23, the clock is ticking. Teammates, coaches, and fans are watching closely to see if Stewart will show up or stay away. And while Hendrickson’s contract situation still lingers, it’s Stewart’s absence and the questions around his deal that now loom over the Bengals’ next chapter.