Bengals rookie Demetrius Knight II sets the record straight about skipping practice over contract dispute

The Cincinnati Bengals are involved in many contract disputes at this time. The franchise is having problems with edge defender Trey Hendrickson, but their top two rookies, Shemar Stewart and Demetrius Knight, are also involved in conversations with the franchise and have not signed their deals yet.

With discussions happening, it's the perfect time for fake news to prevail. On Twitter, a report emerged that Knight was not participating in Bengals' practices because their rookie waivers do not protect unsigned players. Knight, at this point, did not sign his rookie contract with the franchise.

However, he took to Twitter to deny reports that he missed practice during minicamp. He stated that he had a "great practice" with the team and looked forward to be on the field on May 13.

Knight, indeed, took part in the Bengals' practice as reported by Jay Morrison.

The rookie who did not feature was Shemar Stewart, their first-round pick. Stewart also did not sign his rookie contract yet, as both sides negotiate bonus in his contract. It's not a good sign that the franchise failed to reach deals with their top picks when the amount is set by the rookie wage scale.

Contract dispute with Bengals leaves Trey Hendrickson frustrated with the franchise

No contract saga has been more intense in the league than what's going on with Trey Hendrickson. He led the league with 17.5 sacks in 2024, and is now entering the final year of his contract. Hendrickson, who's 30, is looking for a long-term extension—but the Bengals are not budging.

He recently released a public statement about the situation:

No communication has taken place between my camp and the organization post draft. The offers prior to the draft did not reflect the vision we shared and were promised last offseason if I continued to play at a high level. I have been eagerly awaiting a resolution of this situation, but that’s hard to do when there is no discussion and an evident lack of interest in reaching mutual goals.

The defender is set to earn $15.8 million in 2025. However, Myles Garrett and Maxx Crosby recently signed contract extensions that reset the market for edge defenders. Hendrickson's salary is way below his market level, but it remains to be seen whether Cincinnati will give him what he wants.