NFL owner slams young star: “We’re not paying someone who’s sitting in jail”

The ongoing drama regarding Shemar Stewart’s rookie contract continued on Tuesday with the Cincinnati Bengals’ 89-year-old owner Mike Brown wading in.

Stewart was the Bengals’ first round pick at the 2025 NFL Draft and he is set to sign the league-standard four-year, rookie deal worth $18,969,276. However there are certain details in the proposed contract that are proving to be a real sticking point between the two parties.

Stewart’s team is eager for the entirety of the $18.97 million to be fully guaranteed, while the Bengals want to include a few ‘outs’ in case things don’t go to plan. Namely, Brown wants to have the option to void some of the guaranteed payments if Stewart violates NFL policies or finds himself incarcerated.

Brown said: “His agent wants it to be so that if he acted in a terrible fashion - this is all hypothetical - something that rises to the level of going to prison, that we would be on the line for the guarantees for the future years that haven’t been paid.”

“And our position is no, if that happens, we’re not going to be. We’re not going to be paying someone who’s sitting in jail. That’s not what we’re going to do.”

It’s a bold stance from the team owner, but one that matches the general feeling as this situation between Stewart and the Bengals has developed. Last month Stewart walked out of the team’s mandatory minicamp, refusing to play until his contractual situation was agreed. Speaking to reporters, Stewart has maintained that he feels no regret about his decision.

“In my case, I’m 100 percent right,” Stewart said last month. “I’m not asking for nothing that’s never been done before. But in [the team’s] case, y’all just want to win an argument instead of winning more games, in my opinion.”

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