"He doesn't want to be guinea pig": Adam Schefter breaks down why Shemar Stewart is wary of joining Bengals minicamp amid contract dispute

Shemar Stewart, the Cincinnati Bengals' first-round pick of the 2025 NFL draft, left the mandatory minicamp early on Thursday, amidst his contract dispute. ESPN's Adam Schefter shed new light on the DE's contract holdout.

On Thursday's episode of “The Pat McAfee Show,” Schefter said the Bengals attempted to include a specific clause about guaranteed money in his contract that didn’t sit right with Stewart.

​

​

​

​

“The Bengals wanted to include a clause that basically said he would have to forfeit bonus money and guaranteed money if he was not on the roster through the length of that contract," Schefter said. "These rookie contracts were guaranteed through the last CBA.”

As a result, Stewart doesn’t want to be a part of a precedent that could dig a hole for future athletes.

​

​

“He doesn't want to be the guinea pig here,” Schefter said. “He doesn’t want to set a precedent over some rookie.”

Stewart, the 17th pick out of Texas A&M, has participated in meetings and voluntary activities but avoided all on-field work.

Unpacking demands from Shemar Stewart

Shemar Stewart has clarified that he is not seeking special treatment. Instead, he’s asking for his contract to match the structure given to the team’s previous two first-rounders: Myles Murphy in 2023 and Amarius Mims in 2024.

Stewart views the team’s new language as both unfair and precedent-setting. According to ESPN, Stewart isn’t concerned about the timeline as he claimed during Tuesday's minicamp,

​

​

​

"In my case, I'm 100 percent right," Stewart said. "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."

Head coach Zac Taylor acknowledged the situation earlier but didn’t offer much resolution.

​

​

​

​

​

​

“He’s been a good learner," Taylor said on Day 3 of minicamp. … "We look forward to getting him back on the field quickly.”

However, when asked whether Stewart would be at training camp next month, Taylor declined to speculate.

​

​

“I’m not going to make any predictions,” he said.

As things stand, Shemar Stewart appears unwilling to sign until the Bengals agree to terms consistent with other rookie contracts.

​