Steelers Rivals Losing Negotiations With First-Round Pick

The Cincinnati Bengals, who will likely battle it out with the Pittsburgh Steelers for both the AFC North crown and a Wild Card spot, have endured quite an interesting offseason thus far.

From extending both Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase to still not sorting out Trey Hendrickson's contract situation, things certainly haven't been dull over in The Queen City.

Perhaps the most notable storyline surrounding the Bengals at the moment, however, is the status of first-round pick Shemar Stewart. The Texas A&M product landed in Cincinnati with the No. 17 overall pick, though he has yet to sign his rookie contract.

He did not participate in spring workouts, and he did not sign a participation waiver. The Bengals seem to utilize different language in their contracts than most other organizations around the league, and this isn't the first time that they've run into issues signing their recent draft picks.

For example, 2024 first-round offensive tackle Amarius Mims did not sign his rookie deal until last July, while this year's second-round selection in defensive tackle Demetrius Knight reportedly refused to sign his waiver until rookie minicamp commenced.

While appearing on the "Rothman and Ice" show, ESPN's Adam Schefter stated that Stewart is currently "dug in" and that he ultimately believes the 21-year-old pass rusher will get his way in negotiations with Cincinnati.

"My guess is he's gonna win that argument," he said. "What, are they gonna wait and say, 'No, we're not gonna give him [that] language?' Try to do it another year with a later pick. This would not be the time to do that. They need him in for his own personal development, for the strength of that defense. The longer they go without him, the more time he misses, the further he's set back, the more [it] slows his development, which doesn't help the defense, which puts this team behind the 8-ball."

It would be a bad look for the Bengals to not ultimately come to an agreement with Stewart, but the situation has already turned sour for the franchise.

The Steelers likely don't mind that Cincinnati is receiving some bad publicity, though.