After months of contract negotiations that seemed unlikely to ever get resolved, the Cincinnati Bengals have finally signed 2025 first-round pick Shemar Stewart to his rookie contract. The Pittsburgh Steelers, meanwhile, have had their entire rookie class under contract since the end of May.
The Bengals chose to prioritize control over their players opposed to doing right by them, adding a clause for this year's rookie class that gives them more rights to void guarantees if a player violates team or league rules. The specific language didn't exist in past rookie contracts, so Stewart held out with the hopes of getting the Bengals to offer him the same type of deal that past first-round picks received.
Cincinnati refused to take out the clause, ultimately choosing to offer the Texas A&M product a more lucrative payout structure than their previous high draft picks.
While the deal has finally been agreed to, the Bengals choice to play hard ball with their top pick is just another example of the organization failing to prioritize winning over money and control.
Cincinnati Bengals continue to lag behind the Pittsburgh Steelers in one key area
The Steelers are not exactly known for throwing cash around (although that has changed in recent years), but they have always prioritized winning over trying to strong-arm their players. The team just made T.J. Watt the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history, and they extended Cam Heyward last offseason despite him coming off a down season.
The Bengals, meanwhile, put all their eggs in the offense's basket, choosing to extend both Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to market deals. Higgins deserved his money, but now the only true difference-maker they have on defense, Trey Hendrickson, is holding out for a well-deserved raise.
That likely played a part in the drafting of Stewart, who they hope can help add more juice to their pass rush. He is still very raw player at this point, however, so all this missed time could prevent him from making a real impact early in his first season.
If Stewart does indeed start slow, and Hendrickson is either traded or chooses to sit out real games, the Bengals defense could be even worse than they were a year ago. No matter how many points and yards their dominant offense can put up, a defense that bad will crater any chance they have of being a contender.
If the Bengals want to get back to the top of the division, they must change how they operate as an organization before it's too late.