"It's about, 'you work for us, just shut up and play'" - Mike Florio rips Bengals for asking Shemar Stewart to get onboard with "stupid" contract

Shemar Stewart is still in a standoff with the Cincinnati Bengals regarding his rookie contract. The 2025 first-round pick did not sign his contract due to a dispute in the language used in the terms of the deal. This led to Stewart missing out on the team's mandatory minicamp.

On Wednesday, NFL analyst Mike Florio called out the Bengals for how they are managing the Shemar Stewart situation. He criticized the team for not changing the language of the contract and the clause that voids guaranteed money if certain conditions are not met.

"All of this, it's just stupid, right?" Florio said on Pro Football Talk. "You either want to get your guys on the field and get ready to win football games. You're going to get caught up in language that ultimately won't mean a thing. Chances are it's not going to mean jack diddy squat.

"It's about power. It's about you work for us and we tell you what the rules are and you sign this. You just shut up and play football. We don't want to hear any back talk. We don't want to hear any push back. We just want you to sign the document and go to work." (TS- 10:13)

With training camp nearing, Mike Florio believes that the Bengals won't be able to resolve the Shemar Stewart situation in time. Florio also believes that the Bengals' contract mismanagement had a role to play in them not making the playoffs last year, citing Ja'Marr Chase's situation.

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Shemar Stewart opens up about contract standoff with the Cincinnati Bengals

Last month, the ex-Aggies defensive end missed out on mandatory minicamp. While speaking with the press at the locker room, Shemar Stewart expressed his disappointment with the situation ahead of his NFL debut.

"I've been doing this for most of my whole life, and then all of a sudden it's gone over something very simple to fix," Stewart said. "It's kind of disappointing."

"I can't really say what I want to say, but it's their contract. They can do what they want with it."

This situation is causing concerns among Bengals fans about their 2025 first-round pick. They hope that Shemar Stewart will be able to find a suitable middle ground in his contract negotiations with the team ahead of training camp. The Bengals kick off their 2025 campaign with a showdown with the Cleveland Browns in September.