Is Shemar holding out?

[Luvnit2]

This is what I found. The CBA actually accounts for this. If he goes back to college, the Bengals retain his rights for 2026, if he goes to the CFL or another league, the Bengals hold his rights for 3 years. He would have to do nothing in 2025 to be eligible for the 2026 dtaft and the Bengals could not draft him if he sits out.

Somewhat surprisingly, the CBA contemplates the possibility that a drafted player will instead go back to college. Here’s the language, from Article 6, Section 6: “If any college football player who becomes eligible for the Draft prior to exhausting his college football eligibility through participation is drafted by an NFL Club, and returns to college, the drafting Club’s exclusive right to negotiate and sign a Player Contract with such player shall continue through the date of the Draft that follows the last season in which the player was eligible to participate in college football, and thereafter the player shall be treated and the Club shall have such exclusive rights as if he were drafted in such Draft by such Club (or assignee Club).”

In English, this means that, if Stewart returns to college football in 2025, he’d be treated as a draft pick of the Bengals in 2026. Which means that he wouldn’t be permitted to re-enter the draft next year.

https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/shemar-stewart-has-options-but-not-many