Could Bengals rookie consider nuclear option amid contract dispute?

The Cincinnati Bengals have yet to sign rookie first-round pick Shemar Stewart to a contract, and there is a chance that the former Texas A&M star will not play for them in 2025.

Stewart and the Bengals have been at odds over language in Stewart's proposed rookie contract that could allow the team to void future guarantees. While Stewart was present for the first two days of mandatory minicamp on Tuesday and Wednesday, he decided to leave on Thursday before practices concluded.

Earlier in the week, Stewart criticized the Bengals' front office, accusing them of trying to "win an argument instead of winning more games."

So what now?

The simplest solution would be for one side to concede to the other's demands, which would ultimately result in a finalized deal. If both Stewart and the Bengals refused to budge, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk says there are a few choices for the rookie.

Perhaps the most notable is that Stewart could refuse to sign from now until the 2026 NFL Draft and be eligible to re-enter the draft pool. Rookies have until the Tuesday after Week 10 to sign a contract to be eligible to play that season, so Stewart would not be able to play in 2025 if there is no contract agreement with Cincinnati before then.

Florio, who holds a law degree, also floated another intriguing possibility: that Stewart could legally challenge the NCAA under antitrust laws in an attempt to return to college and play in 2025. It seems unlikely that he would be successful, however.

Although there is an NCAA rule preventing players from returning to college after they have been drafted, the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the NFL and the NFL Players Association addresses this scenario. The language essentially states that if a player is drafted by an NFL team and then returns to college, that player would be treated as a draft pick of the team that initially selected them when they return to the NFL.

In Stewart's case, that means he would still be considered a Bengals draft pick in 2026 even if he were to find a way to play college football in 2025.

All of that seems unlikely. If the relationship between Stewart and Cincinnati's front office becomes increasingly strained, it is not out of the question that he may decide he no longer wants to play for the franchise. Should that happen, Stewart has options, albeit unappealing ones.