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The contract standoff between the Cincinnati Bengals and rookie edge rusher Shemar Stewart finally came to an end. Stewart agreed to a four-year, fully guaranteed $18.97 million contract that also includes $10.4 million signing bonus. On Saturday, the organization shared a photo of the rookie signing his deal, which has since gone viral.
A smiling Stewart is seen signing the papers in the Bengals’ organization. Since being posted at 5:20 p.m. EST, the picture of Shemar Stewart has recorded over 600,000 views at the time of this publication.
We have signed our first-round draft pick DE Shemar Stewart.
: https://t.co/1acC92E5TC pic.twitter.com/WzeEPndcbp
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) July 26, 2025
The 21-year-old edge rusher was the Bengals’ first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. He initially turned heads immediately after being drafted by sending an emotionally charged message to the league that came off a bit angry. Regardless, Stewart is finally signed and is expected to participate in training camp and possibly play a starting role to begin his career.
Before entering the NFL, Stewart played three years at Texas A&M. He played as one of the Aggies’ top players on the defense, despite not being all that efficient in the sack category. Shemar Stewart ended his collegiate career with 65 combined tackles (30 solo), six tackles for a loss, 4.5 sacks, and one forced fumble.
Cincinnati certainly believes he has yet to reach his full potential, as the club aims to improve its pass rush for next season. But with Trey Hendrickson holding out amid his contract dispute with the Bengals, it’s unclear exactly how good the pass rush will be in the 2025-26 campaign.
Either way, Shemar Stewart can finally begin practicing and preparing for his rookie season. Although he missed most of the offseason programs for rookies, Stewart still has plenty of time to practice and prepare for the upcoming campaign.
We should see Stewart in action in the Bengals’ opening preseason matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles. That should be a nice tune-up game for the rookie edge rusher as he’ll have his first chance playing professional football on August 7.
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