This offseason has been brutal for the Cincinnati Bengals and contract situations.
After Cincinnati failed to make the postseason, they had wide receiver Tee Higgins hitting free agency and wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase entering the final year of his rookie deal. They decided to give them both four-year contracts for $276 million combined.
The Bengals also had linebacker Germaine Pratt ask for a trade, as he entered the final year of his deal, before the team released him on Monday.
Cincinnati is still dealing with defensive end Trey Hendrickson's holdout, as he looks for a new contract or a trade as well.
And, while that would be a lot for one team, they have yet to have rookie edge rusher Shemar Stewart sign his first contract.
With the Bengals starting their mandatory minicamp on Tuesday, the Cincinnati Enquirer's Kelsey Conway reported that Stewart won't participate in the session.
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Rookie contracts in the NFL are slotted since the 2011 collective bargaining agreement, but there's apparently an issue with the language in the contract. According to Conway, "the Bengals are trying to set a new precedent with rookie contracts that allows the team to void future guarantees."
This isn't a great look for Cincinnati, who is already viewed as one of the cheaper teams in the league, even after shelling out a quarter of a billion dollars to keep their dynamic wideout duo in orange and black this offseason.
Stewart, 21, was a five-star recruit out of Monsignor Pace in Miami Gardens, Florida, before committing to Texas A&M in 2022.
In 37 games over three years with the Aggies, Stewart recorded 65 tackles (12 for a loss), 4.5 sacks, four passes defensed, two fumbles recovered and one forced fumble.
While those numbers aren't impressive, Stewart scored a perfect 10.00 Relative Athletic Score at the combine after running a 4.59-second 40-yard dash and recording a 40-inch vertical and 10-foot-11 broad jump.
If both Stewart and Hendrickson aren't on the field, Cincinnati will struggle to put pressure on the quarterback, even in practice, as their absence would leave Joseph Ossai and Myles Murphy as the top edge rushers.
The Bengals need to figure these contract situations out, and it needs to happen quickly.
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