Shemar Stewart Walks Over Bengals’ Contract Trap as Insider Reveals Hidden Clause Rift

Picture this: it’s August 1999, and the Cincinnati Bengals are sweating bullets as their No. 3 overall pick, Akili Smith, holds out for 27 days before inking a $56 M deal. Fast forward to June 2025, and the Jungle’s got déjà vu all over again. Except this time, it’s a 6’5″, 267-lb rookie DE named Shemar Stewart, fresh off a 4.59 s 40-yard dash that’d make DBs jealous, turning the tables on the front office. With 37 college games, 65 tackles, 12 TFL, and 4.5 sacks at Texas A&M, plus a near-perfect RAS, he’s not just another first-rounder.

He’s a Miami-bred phenom with a 613-lb deadlift and a 43-yard fumble-return TD in his past, now dodging Cincy’s contract traps like he’s sidestepping ‘SEC’ linemen. What’s brewing here ain’t just a holdout—it’s a poetic standoff that could echo through the AFC North like a fourth-quarter pick-six.

Shemar Stewart walks over Bengals’ contract trap

The plot thickens with a bombshell from NFL insider Tom Pelissero: “No. And I think that that was really the rare part of this, Rich, with Shemar Stewart flat out calling up the team, not just over his own contract situation, but also saying, ‘Hey. If it were me, I’d give Trey Hendrickson all the money. Like, here you go.'” Wow! A sweet team relationship building!!

However, Pelissero added, “But I guess that’s not how they operate.” Dig into the dirt, and it’s all about the fine print. The team is pushing a void-year clause that’d nix Stewart’s deal if he slips up once—a move Pelissero calls a “new precedent” for a franchise that’s never rolled like this before. “The Bengals camp are trying to set… default language that if you mess up once, it voids the rest of your contract,” he said.

Stewart’s camp ain’t biting. They’re eyeing the $15.37 M fully guaranteed deal Amarius Mims, last year’s 18th pick, signed in ‘24—no funky clauses, just clean cash. Pelissero’s crystal clear: “If they came to Shemar Stewart tomorrow and offered him the exact same contract language that Amarius Mims… had, Shemar Stewart would sign.” But Cincy’s digging in, and Stewart’s skipped minicamp, leaving his 40″ vertical and 10′11″ broad jump on the sidelines.

This ain’t Stewart’s first rodeo, standing tall. Raised in Miami Gardens by his mom and grandma, he went from park ball at 12 to a five-star recruit who chose Texas A&M over Miami’s neon lights. His 2024 stat line—31 tackles, 6 TFL, 1.5 sacks, and a team-high 39 QB pressures—earned him Third-team All-‘SEC’ nods.

But it’s his combine that’s the stuff of legend: fastest DE over 265 lb since ’87. Yet, with only 4.5 career sacks, the front office might see risk, ironic for a franchise that’s rolled the dice on characters like Pacman Jones or even Andre Smith, who once broke his foot right after ending a 30-day holdout. Pelissero mused, “They have not historically had that language… because the Bengals have probably taken more chances… than anybody else over the past couple of decades here.”

Stewart’s not shy about it either. “In my case, I’m 100 percent right,” he told ESPN. “I’m not asking for nothing that’s never been done before. But in [the team’s] case, y’all just want to win an argument instead of winning more games, in my opinion.” That’s a rookie dropping truth bombs louder than a Paycor Stadium ‘Who Dey’ chant.

Coach Zac Taylor’s keeping it cool, saying, “For all the rookies, you’d like them to be on the field,” but he’s also got Stewart in meetings, learning the playbook. “Number one, we want to protect our team in our locker room,” Taylor added. “I understand when there’s frustration there. That’s how he chose to do it, and that’s his prerogative.” Still, you can feel the tension—like a third-and-long with Lamar Jackson in the pocket.

Jungle in flux: Hendrickson’s holdout and Stewart’s stand shake Cincinnati’s core

Then there’s the Trey Hendrickson subplot, a second storm cloud over the Jungle. The All-Pro’s in his own standoff, skipping minicamp and eyeing a $30 M+ extension after back-to-back 17.5-sack seasons. He’s blunt: “No,” he won’t play out his $15.8 M deal for ’25. With Stewart in his corner—“If it were me, I’d give Trey Hendrickson all the money”—this duo’s got the front office in a bind tighter than a goal-line stand.

Vet center Ted Karras is praying for peace: “I don’t think… there’s not any harboring resentment… I really hope that both camps can figure this out because we have a really good team.” A squad with Joe Burrow’s 4,918 passing yards and Ja’Marr Chase’s 1,708 receiving yards can’t afford to lose its edge rush.

Here’s where it gets poetic, like a Hail Mary arcing under the Monday Night lights. Stewart’s not just holding out—he’s bending the Bengals’ reality, dodging their traps like Neo in ‘The Matrix,’ sidestepping bullets: “There is no spoon.” He’s a rookie with a vet’s swagger, a kid from Miami Gardens who’s already rewriting the playbook on power dynamics.

As Pelissero framed it, “A lot of it comes down to language… an agent trying to break what they might feel is unfair precedent.” The Bengals, built on a culture of grit and gambles, face a reckoning. Will they cling to their frugal roots, risking a talent who could chase down Deshaun Watson, or bend for a new era where rookies call shots? In this orange-and-black saga, the Jungle’s heart beats loud, waiting to see if Stewart’s leap of faith lands him in the end zone or leaves him stranded on the sidelines.