NFL Insider Notes Bonus Payout Issue in Shemar Stewart Contract Negotiations

The default and a newly-surfaced issue.

Apr 24, 2025; Green Bay, WI, USA; Texas A&M Aggies defensive end Shemar Stewart is introduced before the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

CINCINNATI — Bengals first-round pick Shemar Stewart remains unsigned days ahead of training camp as he reportedly fights two contract problems in Cincinnati's offer. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler told FOX19's Jeremy Rauch this week that the team is offering Stewart a worse bonus payout structure than last year's 17th pick, Minnesota's Dallas Turner.

Multiple reports have also noted the other issue about a new clause that would void all future guarantees if he defaults in a season, as opposed to just that year's guaranteed money. Bengals 2024 first-round pick Amarius Mims has the season-to-season language.

"From my understanding of like, the language and the contract, they're essentially, in some areas, asking them to take a pay decrease from where last year's number 17 pick, Dallas Turner, in Minnesota got with certain bonuses," Fowler said to Rauch. "Usually those numbers go up every year, as far as like the percentage guarantee his, to my understanding, was going down. So that's problematic and that's something he's not willing to accept, but we'll see what training camp pressure applies. Sometimes that can change minds a little bit."

Not much time remains to get Stewart signed and on the field ahead of the first training camp practice on July 23.  Rookies report this Saturday.

On top of that, Trey Hendrickson is leaving things thinner than they could be in the defensive line room. Check out the full comments from Fowler here and good explanation of the default issue from NBC's Mike Florio below.

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