Bengals' Shemar Stewart only wants a contract with no 'default clause'

Shemar Stewart isn't asking for a lot.

As contract negotiations drag on between the first-round rookie and the Cincinnati Bengals, that can be easy to forget.

But in an era of predetermined pick salary values, there really isn't that much to negotiate. And Stewart just wants what all the other first-rounders get.

Last year, the Bengals and Amarius Mims took a while to agree to a deal. Cincinnati wanted a "default clause" in the contract, but Mims eventually got that taken out.

NFL first-round picks rarely have a default clause in the deal.

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A default clause essentially allows a team to void future guaranteed money if the player violates the contract in some way.

Stewart isn't asking for millions more dollars.

He's basically asking for his rookie contract to look the same as the other 2025 first-round rookies.

If the Bengals had major character concerns to where they feel a default clause is a must-have, they probably wouldn't have drafted Stewart in the first place.

It seems like it's probably time for the Bengals to do what they did with Mims, soften their stance and get this contract signed.

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