3x Super Bowl champ slams Bengals front office for mishandling Trey Hendrickson, Shemar Stewart contract situation
Trey Hendrickson and Shemar Stewart's contract situation is dragging on by the day as the Cincinnati Bengals again find themselves in the crosshairs of former NFL linemen and 3x Super Bowl winner Mark Schlereth. Schlereth named the Bengals’ front office as the "loser of the week" for a second time in a row.
This time, for what he sees as a mounting pattern of contractual dysfunction in the team. The recent debacle involved defensive stars Trey Hendrickson and Shemar Stewart.
"My loser of the week is the Bengals' front office… My two-time loser of the week, ladies and gentlemen, the Cincinnati Bengals front office," Schlereth said on the "Breakfast Ball" podcast. "I'm sure the last week it was because of Trey Hendrickson, right? Yeah. And this week it's because of Shamar Stewart. Two guys. Okay. Two losers in the week, back to back weeks."
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@markschlereth
's loser of the week is the Bengals front office 😳
"Wait a minute... that was your loser last week." 🤣 —
@DannyParkins
Mark: "My 2-time loser of the week! I'm sure last week it was because of Trey Hendrickson, and this week is because of Shemar Stewart!"
Cincinnati's struggles with player compensation after fielding one of the NFL's worst defenses last season has been widely discussed.
Bengals create unprecedented contract language dispute with Trey Hendrickson and Shemar Stewart
Cincinnati is currently at odds with two of its most important edge rushers — an All-Pro veteran and the team’s top draft pick.
Stewart, selected in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft, walked out of minicamp this week over language in his rookie deal. The contract would allow the Bengals to void guaranteed money in a wider range of circumstances than is typical, including some in-game penalties.
Similar to the Stewart standoff is the issue involving Trey Hendrickson. After back-to-back seasons with 17.5 sacks and a first-team All-Pro nod in 2024, Hendrickson expected a long-term extension. He was told one would come if he continued to produce efficiently.
However, the Bengals added a one-year extension in 2023 and then pivoted to securing the futures of wide receivers, Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase. Hendrickson has since made it clear that he’s prepared to sit out regular-season games rather than play on his current deal.
NFL analyst James Palmer recently called Hendrickson’s impasse the “most contentious” in the league right now
The Bengals, meanwhile, maintain an optimistic front. Coach Zac Taylor has emphasized positive communication with Stewart, comparing his absence to pandemic-era offseason gaps.