Cincinnati Bengals Win Staring Contest With Shemar Stewart, First Round Pick Agrees to Contract

Done deal. Bengals first round pick Shemar Stewart agreed to a four-year, $18.97 million contract on Friday evening.

Stewart was the last first round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft class to agree to a contract.

Stewart's agent Zac Hiller took issue with default language that was in the contract that the Bengals hadn't used in the past. Most of the NFL uses similar language, but Cincinnati hadn't put it in Amarius Mims or Myles Murphy's contract.

His camp was upset that Stewart was going to be the first one with the language. The 21-year-old didn't participate in on-field workouts during the Bengals' offseason program and missed the first three practices of training camp.

Ultimately, Hiller and the rest of Stewart's camp realized the Bengals weren't blinking. They weren't going to take out the language, especially after they were called out publicly multiple times this offseason.

“I’m 100 percent right,” Stewart said in June when asked about his dug-in stance against the inclusion of a clause that could void guarantees in his contract. "I'm not asking for nothing y'all have never done before. But in y'all's case, y'all just want to win an argument instead of winning more games."

That last line didn't sit well with the Bengals' front office. It's fair to wonder what was said behind closed doors if Stewart was willing to say that to reporters.

“I don’t blame Shemar. He’s listening to the advice he’s paying for. I don’t understand the advice," Bengals Director of Player Personnel Duke Tobin said earlier this week. "We’re treating him fairly.”

Hiller immediately responded to Tobin publicly: “Duke Tobin has had no involvement in this negotiation. It seems to be above his pay grade."

The "loudness" of Stewart's camp certainly left an impression on the Bengals. They weren't going to give in.

"From our vantage point, it's a form of foolishness," Bengals owner Mike Brown said this week. "It just ought to get done. There is no dispute over the money. It's just a dispute in his mind that I guess, if he did something that really deserved punishment, that he would want the whole contract guaranteed."

The good news is the deal is done. The Bengals made a tiny concession by giving Stewart an extra $500k of his signing bonus up front. It was money they were always going to pay, but he'll receive it at signing, instead of in December.

It was painful, loud and dramatic, but the deal is done. Now it's time for Stewart and the Bengals to get to what really matters: football.

For more thoughts on the contract, the holdout and what's next for Stewart, watch the videos below: