The likeliest of outcomes between the Cincinnati Bengals and their top pick from the 2025 NFL Draft, former Texas A&M defensive end Shemar Stewart, involves the two sides eventually agreeing upon terms for his rookie contract.
To date, though, both Cincy and Stewart are at an impasse. The primary reason, according to multiple reports, is Stewart's camp doesn't want to agree to contract verbiage that might potentially cut into guaranteed money.
Let's not dive into the proverbial rabbit hole surrounding the nature of Stewart's standoff, rather, let's pivot to a question that's worth asking.
Should the San Francisco 49ers make an immediate phone call to Cincinnati and attempt to trade for the 17th overall pick from last April?
It's been brought up already, recently by Sports Illustrated's Grant Cohn, who suggested the Niners offer a conditional third- and a fifth-round pick in exchange for Stewart. If such a thing happened, San Francisco would boast yet another Round 1-caliber pass-rusher to pair with their other first-round rookie, defensive end Mykel Williams -- a defensive coup, for sure.
The problem, though, is such a trade is wholly unlikely to go down.
Here's why.
Bengals would need to sign Shemar Stewart to actually trade him
There's a reason why teams almost never trade rookies between the draft's conclusion and the start of the regular season, especially with the current collective bargaining agreement between the league and players union.
The Bengals hold Stewart's rights, yes. But he's not under contract yet. To trade him, Cincy would actually need to sign him first. And if the rookie refuses to sign any deal, well... there you go.
A key date to monitor is Aug. 5, 30 days prior to the start of the regular season. This is the CBA's deadline to trade rookies who are unsigned, meaning if no contract is inked, Cincinnati wouldn't be able to trade Stewart after that point.
ESPN's Ben Baby broke down the possible scenarios between the Texas A&M pass-rusher and the Bengals:
"If the Bengals fail to sign Stewart by Aug. 5, 30 days before the start of the NFL's regular season, Cincinnati can't trade him.
The next major deadline is Nov. 11. Similar to the franchise tag, if Stewart has not signed his contract by then, he is ineligible to play for the rest of the season.
If Stewart never signs and sits out the season, he can re-enter the 2026 draft, where every team is eligible to pick him except one -- the Bengals. If Stewart were to test NCAA rules and attempt a return to college or play in another professional league, such as the CFL or the XFL, the Bengals would retain his rights."
If it sounds a bit complex, it is. Such scenarios aren't unheard of, but they're certainly rare.
Now, a potential tipping point might be the Bengals agreeing to Stewart's demands but only on the condition of a trade to a team like the 49ers (or any other suitor, for that matter). But, if Cincy gets to that point, it'd make much more sense to simply follow the terms of the rookie's deal and let him get out on the field.
On top of that, as ESPN's Jeremy Fowler said in the aforementioned article quoted above, "cooler heads usually prevail around training camp," meaning the likeliest of outcomes is for Stewart to stay put.
So, if you're among those who think the Niners can somehow swoop in and grab the pass-rushing prospect, you'll likely end up disappointed.
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