Shemar Stewart could be forced into rare territory following hostage situation

When the Cincinnati Bengals drafted Shemar Stewart in the 2025 NFL Draft, it was clear that the Bengals trusted his word of making all other NFL GMs regret not picking him.

After all, his impressive showing at the combine should've been enough to be a top 10 pick, but the Bengals took them as the 17th overall pick. Since then, he's experienced immense pressure and a holdout from the Bengals, causing him to grow frustrated at the organization.

The Bengals' Trey Hendrickson situation has gotten worse too, and with Stewart being the rookie and already taking the backseat to that nightmare scenario, Stewart decided it was time to walk away when he needed to.

Stewart leaving minicamp means he might wait to get re-drafted in 2026

Stewart has been forced into a bad situation with the Bengals, and now, he's starting to take the stand that he should.

This is something that remains rare in the NFL, but there's a situation where Stewart could just wait until next season and get drafted by another team who doesn't want to play games with him.

People are already making memes about the Stewart situation, like Rick Harrison from "Pawn Stars" neogtiating for a lower price.

The clauses that are in Stewart's contract is basically like holding Stewart hostage. No other rookie has been through something like this before, and after Stewart's impressive combine, it's ridiculous that he's going through this. Many media pundits have already sided with Stewart on the issue, and he's going to get immense support now.

The Bengals have officially botched this offseason by not taking care of Hendrickson or Stewart, but Stewart holding out until the 2026 season is actually a real possibility if the Bengals don't take care of him ASAP.