The contract stalemate between first-round rookie Shemar Stewart and the Cincinnati Bengals doesn’t sound like it’s headed for a resolution anytime soon, with Stewart remaining off the practice field, and the Bengals reportedly remaining bullish on the contract’s language regarding potential voids on future guaranteed money.
Per Bengals reporter Ben Baby of ESPN: “The Bengals are very hard nosed negotiators and do not typically budge on these things, so figuring out which side is gonna blink first, that’s gonna be fascinating and Shemar said, essentially, you know, he doesn’t want to take the field until this gets ironed out.”
The standoff has led to some NFL analysts, like Fantasy Life’s Thor Nystrom, to wonder if Stewart’s stint with Cincinnati could end before he ever plays a down for the Bengals.
Nystrom offered up a trade pitch between the Bengals and Minnesota Vikings that generated a healthy response among fans on social media. The hypothetical deal? Stewart to Minnesota for sixth-round offensive tackle Walter Rouse, seventh-round defensive lineman Levi Drake Rodriguez, a 2026 second-round pick, and 2027 fourth-rounder.
In this proposal, GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and the Vikings would first have to iron out the language in Stewart’s rookie contract to facilitate a deal. That wouldn’t be a problem, though, as Stewart would be joining a much better defense in Minnesota, and the Vikings would be acquiring one of the top pass rushing prospects in this year’s draft class. There would be plenty of motivation from both sides to get it done.
There would be other hurdles for the Vikings, though.
Stewart’s four-year, rookie-scale contract will be for about $19 million fully guaranteed. The Vikings would have to work those financials into their books after already committing around $300 million in potential max value to free agents this offseason. It would be more than possible given the NFL’s current salary cap structure, but it wouldn’t exactly be ideal.
Another hurdle? The Vikings are loaded at EDGE rusher with Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel and Dallas Tuner all under contract for 2025 and beyond. You can never have too many good, young pass rushers on your roster, but the team has already invested a ton of cash and draft capital in their current top three, and other defensive positions, like safety, cornerback and depth along the defensive line, are much bigger areas of need.
In the end, the Bengals need Stewart a lot more than Minnesota or any other team does. That’s why they spent the No. 17 overall pick on the former Texas A&M star.
Cincinnati will most likely save itself from further embarrassment and get this contract mess taken care of prior to training camp.
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