Shemar Stewart still hasn't signed his rookie contract with the Cincinnati Bengals. He's yet to officially practice with the team as well.
Has he been practicing at all? His former team may have an answer to that.
Stewart left Texas A&M this offseason to declare for the 2025 NFL Draft, in which the Bengals selected him with the 17th overall pick in the first round. He can't legally return to A&M or the college level this year as the Bengals own his rights, but a recent report suggests he may try to go down that route.
Cincinnati hasn't conducted any practices since mandatory minicamp ended in on June 12, the day Stewart left early to avoid being a distraction. In the time between minicamp and training camp, which starts on July 23, 247Sports' Bud Elliott reports that Stewart has been practicing with the Aggies this summer.
"A guy who has had some good [Texas] A&M stuff in the past, he hit me, he's like, 'Hey, Shemar might end up back here . . . He's been at College Station. He's been fully involved in workouts,'" Elliott said on the Cover 3 Podcast.
"He could try to come back and play again this season and go into the draft again next year."
There are two logical reasons why Stewart was back practicing with his college team. He's either staying ready to participate in Bengals training camp after making the choice to sit out of the team's offseason workout program, or he's seriously considering trying to re-join Texas A&M and never play for the Bengals.
Stewart can forego the 2025 season entirely and re-enter the draft in 2026. Cincinnati would not be able to draft him a second time, and the 21-year old would have to sacrifice playing at all until next year.
Alternatively, the Bengals would retain his draft rights if he does go back to college and play. He'd be stuck in the same situation as he is now with the club wanting him to accept new default language that past rookies of the team did not have in their deals.
Stewart could also take the NCAA, and the NFL, to court in an attempt to get on the field at the college level and to avoid the Bengals in the future. That would obviously get the league's attention in the wrong ways as other clubs wouldn't want such a precedent to be set for a drafted player to effectively go back to college and try again next year.
Stewart's true intentions aren't confirmed, but being "fully involved" in summer workouts with your former team while in a contentious contract dispute isn't exactly great news. Stewart is expected to report to Bengals camp on July 19 along with the rest of the rookie class.
More must-reads:
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!