The summer has been dominated by contract disputes around the NFL, from Micah Parsons in Dallas and James Cook in Buffalo to Terry McLaurin in Washington and Trey Hendrickson in Cincinnati.
For a few days at the start of training camp, the Bengals actually had two holdouts on their hands — and one was extraordinarily unusual.
First-round pick Shemar Stewart entered camp unsigned after trading shots with the franchise earlier in the offseason regarding contract negotiations. Rookie deals are typically no sweat for teams, as each pick comes with an assigned value, but language within the contract stood in the way of an agreement between Stewart and the Bengals until late July.
Here's a look at how the Bengals ended Stewart's holdout and got him back on the field ahead of the season.
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Shemar Stewart contract details
Stewart signed a fully guaranteed four-year, $18.97 million deal with the Bengals on July 25, after missing the early days of training camp.
There is virtually no room for haggling on the total value of a rookie contract, as a player's draft position dictates how large his contract can be. While Stewart's deal is fully guaranteed, the hang-up centered on language that could give the Bengals an easier path to voiding those guarantees. Stewart relented on the language but convinced Cincinnati to give him a larger signing bonus that amounts to an extra $500,000 upfront.
The deal includes a fifth-year option, which is standard among all first-round rookie contracts.
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Shemar Stewart contract holdout timeline
Stewart sat out the majority of the Bengals' offseason program as his standoff with the franchise continued.
June 10: Stewart sits out of minicamp, takes shot at Bengals
While sitting out of mandatory minicamp in June, Stewart met with reporters and took a clear shot at the team that drafted him.
"I'm 100 percent right. I'm not asking for nothing y'all have never done before," Stewart said. "But in y'all case, y'all just want to win arguments than winning more games."
Mandatory minicamp came and went without Stewart on the field, igniting concerns that the saga could drag out into training camp.
June 21: Mike Brown, Duke Tobin call out Stewart's agent
Bengals owner Mike Brown and head of football operations Duke Tobin took their own shots at Stewart's camp later in June, but they were careful not to single out the pass-rusher. The Bengals brain trust instead said Stewart was getting bad advice from his representatives.
"I don't understand the advice," a frustrated Tobin told reporters. "I don't agree with it."
Brown, meanwhile, didn't believe the two sides should have been haggling over language at all.
"It’s not about money. It’s about the guarantee in the case of if he were to do something contrary to the discipline levels of the league," Brown said. "I don’t think that’s going to happen ever. That’s what’s holding it up," referencing Stewart's problem with language that could allow the Bengals to void his guarantees.
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July: Stewart trains at Texas A&M facility
Stewart was spotted training at Texas A&M's facility in July while still in a standoff with the Bengals. While that sparked some speculation Stewart might pass on signing with Cincinnati and try to return to college in an unprecedented move, reports quickly indicated that was not a possibility.
July 23: Bengals practice begins without Stewart
The Bengals held their first full practice of training camp on July 23 without Stewart on the field, officially making his contract dispute a rare rookie holdout that extended into camp.
July 25: Stewart, Bengals agree to deal
The Bengals and Stewart reached an agreement on a standard four-year rookie contract after practice on July 25, ending the pass-rusher's holdout.
"Both sides just found some even ground," Stewart told reporters in the wake of the deal. "We both thought it would be beneficial for us to stop arguing and just get me back on the field."