June 21st, 2025
The Cincinnati Bengals are known as one of the most frugal franchises in the league and that shows up in their negotiations with one of their star players, along with their first round pick from this past draft. It is quite shocking that it is taking them this long to sign these players.
One of those players, pass rusher Trey Hendrickson, has not received the contract he wants. He is considered as one of the best at his position and brings tremendous value to the Bengals’ defense and he has produced 17.5 sacks in each of the past two seasons, per the official NFL website. On June 18th, ESPN’s Adam Schefter went on the Pat McAfee Show to explain what was happening. According to him, it is about how long the contract should be. Schefter said that the Bengals only want to give him a one-year extension, while Hendrickson wants a longer contract. Money also plays a big factor, as he is not getting paid like a top pass rusher compared to others at his position. This situation has been going on for months, with no solution in sight.
Another player that has not been signed to a contract is rookie pass rusher Shemar Stewart. It makes no sense why he is not under contract yet. All the Bengals need to do is sign him to a rookie contract, as the money he makes is already set in stone due to where he was selected in the draft. It should not be this complicated. However, he and the team are in a disagreement about future guaranteed money and how the team can void them per Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer. In fact, Stewart was complaining to the media about how ridiculous the entire issue is, and this includes him mentioning Hendrickson as an example. After this, it became so bad that Stewart left minicamp (which are offseason workouts) early per ESPN’s Ben Baby, which is quite astonishing.
All of this has led up to this moment, where the Steelers are relying on him as the one missing piece to take them to the Super Bowl and win it all. Can it happen? As said previously, there are multiple factors going against him and the team, but there is one positive and it’s their defense. The unit has been one of the best year in and year out, and helps the team float around .500, even with their offense consistently being one of the worst.
It should be noted that Shemar Stewart’s situation is quite fascinating because of a very rare scenario that could happen. According to John Breech of CBS Sports’ website, Stewart could sit out this year and reenter the draft next season. Breech states that this is in the CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement), specifically stated in Article 6. It is a very interesting tidbit, and the fact that this could even happen scares Bengals’ fans, but this is a big “what if.” What will probably happen is that Stewart ends up signing the contract, since he has almost no leverage due to his rookie status. Nevertheless, if Stewart refuses to back down, he could take that route, but that is doubtful.
These deals should have been done and over with already due to the value these players bring to the team’s defense. Hendrickson is the most impactful player on the Bengals’ defense and Stewart’s contract should have been completed already, but Cincinnati somehow found a way to make everything difficult. Everything stated explains why the Bengals are one of the most stingy franchises in the entire NFL.