Shemar Stewart made a name for himself before the NFL Draft, showing his superhuman skills and boldly promising havoc on any NFL team that would look in the opposite direction.
After all, he's already made noise by pointing the finger at Jerry Jones for turning his back on him, when it looked like America's Team was going to draft the former Texas A&M star. Stewart was drafted in the middle of the first round by the Cincinnati Bengals.
While he looks to make Bengals fans extremely happy in September, Stewart is calling the shots by taking matter to his own hands. He wants pen to meet paper before doing anything on the football field.
Stewart threatening not to practice until contract is signed
We've seen Stewart make bold claims before, but now that he's in the NFL, it appears he's not letting up on that boldness.
“I just decided not to sign those papers … I hate being on the sideline looking at everybody else do work.”
— Caleb Noe (@CalebNoeTV) May 9, 2025
Bengals 1st round pick Shemar Stewart said he hopes to have his contract signed by next week.
He did not participate in rookie minicamp today, but was present.#Bengals… pic.twitter.com/8HWqmL3ROV
He says that he's participating in 'everything else' but not anything on the field.
This is a strong move from Stewart, but the right one. We forget sometimes that the main point of having a job in the NFL is to provide for their family. We've seen plenty of veterans hold off on playing until a contract extension was signed, but with Stewart being a rookie, this speaks volumes as to what he's going to do in the NFL.
While Stewart hasn't played a down of professional football yet, we've already seen his freakishly athletic skills to make it in the NFL. Hopefully he gets paid soon so he can see the field with his teammates.