The standoff between the Cincinnati Bengals and first-round pick Shemar Stewart is just complex enough and just vague enough to generate reactions that are all over the spectrum.
Some onlookers see a franchise that has historically run into these problems doing so again, while others see a rookie being unreasonable while costing himself a chance to develop.
Over at CBS Sports, Jeff Kerr wrote that the Bengals are simply in the wrong:
“Whatever the Bengals are doing with a first-round draft pick in an era where the rookie wage scale exists is unprofessional. Cincinnati and Shemar Stewart are at odds over interpretation of language in the contract that could affect Stewart’s guaranteed money in his rookie deal, causing the first-round pick to hold out from minicamp.”
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The Bengals do seem to be making a weird choice, at least when it comes to the timing of this. Taking this contractual stand now when All-Pro defensive end Trey Hendrickson has a contract beef too and Stewart needs time to develop is certainly a bold move.
But whether the Bengals are being unprofessional is a whole different conversation. Many reports have now suggested that the team is simply attempting to add contractual language that most other franchises use. Even in the era of the rookie wage scale, minor scuffles over language and contract specifics have been a thing at times.
There is some important nuance missing from all of these reports when it comes to the very specific things that would void guarantees. But for the most part, the vibe has been the Bengals aren’t being unreasonable, just incredibly risky to try this right now.
So, the Bengals seem within their rights to try. Stewart is within his rights to not like it. The likely outcome remains that some concessions will be made by one side, if not both, so that he gets on the field for training camp next month.
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This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Bengals accused of being ‘unprofessional’ with Shemar Stewart drama