The 6’5”, 267-pound defensive end, who clocked a 4.59 40-yard dash and a perfect 10.00 Relative Athletic Score (a unicorn among 2,029 DEs since 1987), isn’t sweating drills until his ink dries. Meanwhile, Cincinnati fans are sweating bullets and so is Zac Taylor. “New generation of athletes are soft,” tweeted @CoffeeSneeze, channeling every old-head clutching a foam finger. ‘Not like they don’t make millions in college.’

“I just decided not to sign those papers.” Shemar Stewart, the Bengals’ first-round (17th overall) pick, dropped this casual grenade while lounging on the sidelines during rookie minicamp—no jersey, no helmet, just a front-row seat to his own contractual limbo. Let’s rewind. Stewart’s college stats (65 tackles, 1.5 sacks) don’t scream “generational talent,” but his combine numbers?

Pure Friday Night Lights montage material. Dude jumped 40 inches vertically—higher than Ja’Marr Chase’s end-zone celebrations—and broad-jumped 10’11”, a distance that’d make a kangaroo blush. Yet here he is, ghosting drills like a Tinder date, while fans roast him harder than Skyline Chili. “This dude’s a diva and he sucks. Worst combination,” @CIDdontmiss tweeted, mixing heat with hopelessness.

Now, with the Bengals’ checkbook open, fresh off signing 13 rookies, including

-British DT Dante Barnett (Dickinson College)

-Arizona HB Quali Conley,

-Notre Dame’s bulldozing DT Howard Cross III,

-BYU OT Caleb Etienne,

-Arkansas DT Eric Gregory,

-Texas Tech CB Bralyn Lux,

–Cincinnati WR Jamoi Mayes,

-Ohio State center Seth McLaughlin,

-Duke WR Jordan Moore,

-Oklahoma State WR Rashod Owens,

-West Virginia TE Kole Taylor,

-Auburn QB Payton Thorne,

-Michigan long snapper William Wagner

Stewart’s holdout feels less like a tantrum and more like a power play. Think Ballers’ Spencer Strasmore snarling, ‘You don’t get what you deserve; you get what you negotiate.’

While Stewart spectates, the Bengals are cooking up a roster remix. Their 13 signings aren’t just depth—they’re vibes. Take Barnett, the 300-pound Londoner who grew up kicking soccer balls, not O-linemen. Or McLaughlin, the Ohio State center who snapped for CJ Stroud’s Heisman run. There’s Moore, Duke’s WR turned human highlight reel, and Thorne, Auburn’s QB turned project with a cannon arm and a chip on his shoulder. Even Owens, the Oklahoma State wideout who plays like he’s got TNT in his cleats.

It’s a Hard Knocks audition waiting to happen. “I think that we have a good mix of running backs in our room — all shapes and sizes, all abilities. So it’s really good to get a mix of those guys in there.” Taylor said, channeling his inner Al Michaels. ‘These guys? They’re hungry.’ And Barnett? He’s swapping fish and chips for Skyline Chili, dreaming of a pick-six as sweet as a UEFA Champions League goal.

Fan fury and the ghost of Zac Taylor’s drafts past

Bengals fans, though? They’re split. Some see Stewart’s stance as principled; others see it as pretentious. “Holy bad pick LMAOOOO,” cackled @MiddyGaroppolo, While @YLIAfan quipped, “He cannot be serious lmao.” but let’s keep it real: Stewart’s not the first rookie to play hardball. Remember Joey Bosa’s 2016 holdout? Dude missed a month, then racked up 10.5 sacks. Or Jamal Adams, who skipped Jets camp, then became a Pro Bowl menace. Stewart’s betting his combine magic translates to NFL stardom—and that Cincy’s $27M cap space can stomach his demands.

Even @NotoriousNic7 piled on: “This is why he wasn’t productive in college…” Ouch. But Stewart’s no stranger to betting on himself. At Texas A&M, he turned 79 QB pressures and a pick-six into a $34K NIL hustle and a draft-night call from Zac Taylor.

But Stewart’s gamble isn’t just about cash. It’s about legacy. The Bengals handed him Geno Atkins’ old No. 97, a jersey that’s seen more QB carnage than a Burrow-to-Chase TD drive. “You should be doing everything possible to be on the field,” argued @sizeemupsports, echoing locker rooms from Cincy to Canton. Yet Stewart’s camp knows his leverage: that RAS score is a golden ticket, and Cincy’s D-line needs his Madden-create-a-player athleticism to replace Trey Hendrickson’s aging fury.

The Bengals’ offseason is a spicy gumbo: international intrigue, rookie rebellion, and fanbase meltdowns. Stewart’s saga? It’s the jalapeño in the pot. Whether he’s a diva or a visionary, one thing’s clear: in the NFL, talent talks louder than tweets. And if Stewart’s combine feats morph into strip-sacks and goal-line stands, Cincy’s critics will swap their ‘LMAOs’ for ‘MVP!’ chants.

Until then, the Bengals’ locker room mantra remains: Trust the process, even when the process is chilling on the sideline in sweatpants and swanky watches.