Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Shemar Stewart is ready to go to work after signing his rookie contract.
The 17th overall pick in this year’s draft, Stewart made waves due to a prolonged contract dispute. He missed the Bengals’ offseason program and was the last first-round rookie to sign his contract. Speaking to reporters in the locker room at Bengals training camp on July 27, Stewart said he was eager to put the drama behind him and live out his dream of playing in the NFL.
“It was great, getting to play the game I love, for the first time since last year,” Stewart said of his first practice with the team.
Stewart played about 10 reps with the first team defense. He acknowledged that it was not a large sample size, but called it a “good start” while he gets acclimated to the playbook. Stewart also acknowledged that being absent from the team for the offseason and the first few training camp practices means he is a bit behind his teammates in learning the defense.
“I’m not going to be naïve,” he said. “I haven’t been here for a couple practices, so of course I need to catch up. So I’m going to take every extra rep I could get.”
Drafting Stewart was seen as risky because while Stewart has an excellent blend of size (6 feet 5 inches and 267 pounds) and athleticism (4.59 40-yard dash, 40-inch vertical jump, 10-feet-11-inch broad jump), his college statistics were lackluster. He had just 31 total tackles at Texas A&M in 2024, with 5.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. In 37 games over three seasons with the Aggies, Stewart had just 65 total tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, four passes defended, a forced fumble, and two recoveries.
Drama emerged during the offseason when Stewart and the Bengals were locked in a contract dispute. The issue stemmed from contract language that would have voided his guaranteed money in the case of conduct detrimental to the team. Bengals owner Mike Brown said it largely had to do with criminal acts, contending that he would not want to pay a player for four years if he were to be in jail for the entire time.
But the two sides got over their impasse and Stewart signed his deal on Saturday. According to Spotrac, it’s a four-year, $18.97 million contract, fully guaranteed, with a $10.4 million signing bonus.
Stewart said he had no regrets about how the process played out. He also praised his agent, Zach Hiller, for taking a hardline stance in negotiations.
“In my opinion, I feel like I want an agent that’s more of a pit bull,” Stewart said. “I don’t want [an] agent that’s going to be easily pushed over. I want somebody that’s going to go to work about me. That’s what I hired him for, so I don’t [have] to do none of the hard work behind the scenes. So, in terms of that, I feel like Zach is a great agent.”
With the contract situation in the rearview mirror, Stewart said he is now free to focus on football. He said he was happy to be a Bengal, and assured that “all is forgiven” and there was no “bad blood” between him and the team.
“Growing up, dreaming this dream, you never knew what it [would] feel like,” Stewart said of the opportunity to play in the NFL. “Like, nobody could ever put it in words, but I still can’t even put it into words. Like it still didn’t hit me yet, but like I just felt happy, like a deep sense of joy.”
Now able to join his teammates on the practice field, Stewart said he was not out to prove anything, only put the same amount of effort each of his teammates puts into each practice. He said he would have to work hard to be ready for the season, but assured fans that he would be.
“I’m here to work,” he told Bengals faithful. “I’m fully locked in. No distractions, and I can’t wait to put on for y'all this season.”
