Yesterday, 07:43 PM
(07-02-2025, 05:18 PM)ochocincos Wrote: If Stewart doesn't sign his contract by next year's draft, he's eligible to reenter the draft and be selected by another team.
I don't know if the Bengals would get reciprocated in any way for essentially losing their drafted player, but I don't believe they would.
But if Stewart really doesn't sign until by or right before the start of the season, he will have lost out on incredibly valuable learning time so he could perform better this year.
Not being on the field the entire offseason leading up to the season when you already aren't coming in very refined as is would very likely mean he'll contribute very little if at all this year.
Hendrickson at least has some ground to stand on when it comes to his contract, batting well above his allotted pay up to this point and already being a proven commodity in the NFL and with the Bengals specifically.
Stewart is none of that, and it's making him look somewhat selfish and unwilling to "deal with it" when some feel he should just be appreciative he's getting to play in the NFL and was a 1st round pick.
If the rumors by PDJ are true and this contract wording is in place for the 16th and 18th pick, becoming more common, I tend to agree this is just the way things are now for contracts and you may just need to suck it up, be overly mindful and cautious, and get to work.
The Bengals select Stewart in the 5th or 6th round next year if that is the case. lol
