The Cincinnati Bengals have agreed to a rookie deal with first-round pick Shemar Stewart, ending the saga between the franchise and the pass rusher, according to a report from Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
Stewart, who was the No. 17 pick in April's NFL draft, had not signed his rookie contract all summer, as he looked to gain further security in his deal. A lengthy contract standoff ensued, but in the end, Stewart secured "improved payout language," per Pelissero, and will now report to training camp. Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the two sides compromised, with Stewart agreeing to the Bengals' revised contract language and Cincinnati granting the pass rusher his fully guaranteed four-year deal, with $500,000 of his $10.4 million signing bonus being paid up front.
The Bengals have had a busy offseason on the contracts front. They re-signed both Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins at wide receiver, while struggling to gain traction with Trey Hendrickson, the league's sack leader in 2024, on a contract extension. After drafting Stewart, the Bengals had another contract battle on their hands with a pass rusher, which ultimately came to an end on Friday.
Stewart spent three seasons at Texas A&M, playing in 37 games while recording 65 total tackles, 12 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Bengals Agree to Deal With First-Round Pick Shemar Stewart, Ending Contract Saga.
