Current draft holdout should sound familiar to Raiders fans

The Las Vegas Raiders did a good job securing most of their 2025 draft class, with second-round receiver Jack Bech being the only rookie not yet under contract.

Even then, Bech is still expected to get his deal done before the start of training camp, resulting in zero controversy between the player and team. That is more than can be said for some teams, however, most notably the Cincinnati Bengals. They are currently embroiled in a tense contract situation with defensive end Trey Hendrickson, and his potential replacement in first-round rookie Shemar Stewart is experiencing hangups with his rookie contract, as well.

The latter of the two issues facing the Bengals should give Raiders fans nightmares about a similar problem they faced in the not-so-distant past.

The Shemar Stewart saga is drawing some parallels to what the Raiders went through with JaMarcus Russell.

Similar to Stewart, Russell was the subject of a contentious contract negotiation with the team that drafted him.

Selected by the then-Oakland Raiders with the first overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft, the LSU product held out until his contract was signed. Russell ended up missing out on his first training camp and even went unsigned at the start of the regular season, creating the longest holdout of a first overall pick since Bo Jackson with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1986. In September of that year, however, the Raiders finally capitulated and handed Russell a record-setting six-year, $68 million contract ($31.5 million guaranteed).

What followed was nothing short of disastrous for both Russell and the Raiders.

Russell started for the Raiders during the 2008 season and, while he flashed his considerable talent, he had a penchant for being inaccurate and turning the ball over. The following year, Russell imploded, finishing the season as the NFL’s worst quarterback in multiple categories. He was benched, plummeted down the depth chart and, when he was released in May of 2010, ended his Raiders tenure unanimously despised by the fanbase.

This comparison should strike fear in the hearts of Bengals fans.

The reasons for Russell and Stewart’s holdouts are not necessarily the same; Russell wanted more money, while Stewart wants to keep the Bengals from being able to void his guarantees.

However, the timing for the Bengals could not be any worse. Hendrickson was one of the few functional parts of their defense last season, and there is a chance that he winds up on a new team before the season begins. Stewart was drafted as a contingency plan in that event, but issues are now swirling with him as well.

Even worse for the Bengals is that Stewart is that there are questions regarding his readiness at the NFL level.

Similar to Russell, Stewart projects as a talent with incredible athletic skill, but in need of some development time. With their holdouts, Russell and Stewart are missing out on crucial reps during their first offseason that can help prepare them for the rigors of the NFL. The Raiders know firsthand the negative impact that results in, and a similar situation appears to be playing out in Cincinnati.

If Stewart’s holdout continues to play out in the same way Russell’s did, the Bengals could be flirting with disaster.