Is Shemar holding out?

[*ochocincos*]

It's nickel and diming over a measly rookie contract by the Bengals, sure.
With that said, the narrative on Stewart is that he needs all the reps he can get to succeed early, as the Bengals will almost assuredly use poor performance early in his rookie contract as a reason to lower any potential offer for next contract.
Him being able to come in as a rookie and get 5+ sacks and then 8+ next year will go a long way in killing the narrative against him.