Is Shemar holding out?

[Destro]

(07-13-2025, 12:44 PM)TheLeonardLeap Wrote: Plus then you'd be on a team that you would trust to actually pay you. 

Lets not pretend he (and the rest of College/NFL) doesn't see the Bengals being the only team forcing players to play under the franchise tag rather than using it as a negotiating tool to get first-year salary decided and give them more time to negotiate. (9 players got tagged last season, ONLY Tee ended up playing under the tag, the other 8 all got paid) Not to mention the Bengals have a 1st-Team All-Pro DE and won't give him the big payday he deserves.

So from Stewart's point of view, he got drafted by a team that's chosen him to be their test subject to immediately screw him in negotiations (they sure didn't try to pull that shit on Chase's contract this offseason), and who if he does turn out to be a great player doesn't seem particularly willing to pay top-of-the-line DE money so he'll just be stuck under team control for 7 years rather than ever getting a big payday.

Yeah I feel like this, at least in part, has something to do with the Bengals history. Tee didn't get the contract he wanted when he wanted it, and got tagged for his troubles. Chase didn't get the deal when he wanted it. ( Got paid later, but that is actually besides the point ). Now you got Trey, who Stewart would love to be a percentage of in talent, also cannot get his contract after a stellar year. People can defend the front office as much as they want, but Stewart is a player. He looks at it is a player does and I would think that does not bode well. He didn't seem very excited when drafted. Have to wonder if he already had some preconceived notions coming in.