Overview

• Stewart has not signed his rookie deal or reported to training camp despite being the Bengals’ 17th overall pick.
• The contract impasse centers on novel voidable guarantee clauses that could erase his guaranteed money if specific conditions are breached.
• Cincinnati’s management has declined to modify the disputed language, making Stewart the lone unsigned first-rounder in its draft class.
• Second-round pick Demetrius Knight officially inked his rookie contract on July 19, leaving Stewart as the only holdout among Cincinnati’s six draftees.
• Under NFL rules the Bengals retain Stewart’s rights through the next draft, and NCAA eligibility restrictions block a return to Texas A&M without legal action, raising the prospect of a season-long absence.