36 minutes ago, Hooky said:

There are still other draft picks unsigned.

Including Demetrius Knight who right now is looking like a better player than Shamoo until

proven otherwise.

And agree with everything you said.

Time for Tommy Hilfiger's nightmare to look at what is

on the table rather than what is not.

Bad mouthing your probable future employer in the media is

not a wise choice.

15 hours ago, GoBengals said:

laziness.

no one researches anymore, like 3 guys have inside info, if that, aside from that the "media" isnt exactly filled with people who have degrees in journalism, worked thier way up, build relationships, its a bunch of dudes like you and me, who started a youtube podcast, and just have done it the longest, hell i had a media pass for the bengals just from having this forum back in the day. and thats when there was KIND of some criteria to meet..

I could get a media pass today, no problem.

so you cant possible watch any of these podcast or media twitter accounts and think these guys are leaving their office chair and actually doing stuff right? even at practice and camp, 5-20 media folks stand there with their iphones, record clips for twitter, joke with eachother, talk about lunch, use said phone to poorly record interviews, all think the same thing, and post it.. they need followers they need hits, they need shares, they need subscribers..

the #1 only thing they do not need what so ever.. is to be right or put in effort or learn anything.

the bengals PR team sends them information to release, and they do it, rarely, as the bengals dont do contract stuff in the media, but other things, health stuff signing stuff, etc.. then agents reach out, look at the video i posted... Dingleberry did his own fact checking and contract details around the league.. the stewerts agent reached out to him, pissed and got him to sway back some.. why? because goodberry needs that connect, and if he does his bidding a little, when goodberry reaches out, the agent might reply.

15 years ago, guys would chase down family members, get a cousin to leak info, fat boy andre smiths agent, alvin keels emailed me then text me wanting me to post positive stuff about him during the contract issues,

and the proof? it works. look at all of you, look at everyone on social media.. they dont care about any of the facts, its easy and lazy to zap the bengals, they wont dispute or fight back, they ignore it.. so they are easy to slander..

and everyone gets an east post, podcast episode (or 10), no one cares about the facts or details, not even a little bit.

no one cares about anything, they just wanna check a box for their day, get some clicks if possible, and go back to doom scrolling on instagram and twitter.

all of the sports media, scouts sites, analysts, all for show and clicks, look at collinsowrth, he doesnt give a fuck about anything, he wants some zingers for the show and to go home.

and everyone behaves as if we have good reliable crack journalism. its laughable.

how many different stories over what the "language" in the contract relates to have been posted in this thread alone? 8? 5? a whole lot more than 1...

how many weeks did it take for ANYONE to bring to light that the language is in the majority of first round contracts, its just new for the bengals to add it.... ?

hell the hundred or so people who supposidly love and follow the team and gobble every media tidbit there is, still think mike brown is in these contract negotiations.

people believe what they want. facts arent a part of the equation any longer. havent been in 10 years.

So... Are they not lazy in covering the other 31 teams?

https://bengalswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/bengals/2025/06/17/bengals-crushed-earned-reputation-contract-standoffs-hendrickson-shemar-stewart/84245705007/

Their history overshadows the fact that Hendrickson signed a short contract extension recently, is 30 years old, was granted permission to seek a trade and has walked back previous holdout threats. 

Cincinnati’s history also, ironically enough, overshadows the fact that attempting to revise contract leverage, starting with Stewart, is another attempt at modernizing, considering some reporting says the language they want to insert is pretty standard for other teams. 

The media has always been lazy. This golden age where these guys did leave their office chair is something from Nick at Nite. If that age did exist, you'd need to be in your 80's to remember it.

A lazy media will always fall back to what Cincy's reputation is... And this is a team not 15 years removed from having their Franchise QB refuse to play for them for non-monetary reasons.

You want fair media.... Bengalswire seems to get that we're victims of our reputation. Paul Dehner takes the team's side quite often because that's his source. Are you mad that ALL Bengals coverage isn't slanted the way you prefer?

The Family are Billionaires in a VERY public enterprise. The fact that they can't manage their PR is not good. It's not a sign that they're more down to earth, or more "real". It's more of a sign that the NFL's worst FO doesn't "get it".

Are the Bengals losing in the court of public opinion? Yes. Is that fair? I think so.

Is the Judge who convicts you unfair when you show up without a lawyer and refuse to speak on your own behalf? Or do you say "What a lazy judge! He should have left his bench and gone and done an investigation! He can't expect me to hire a guy to give him my side of the story!"

You've watched MacAfee... They read shit off the wire and then talk about it. That has been "Journalism" since the 80's when people read shit off the wire and talked about it. Now we just have a lot more sources than the AP. Frankly, you're a lil' dim if you think they're doing much else. You think 6 brohams sitting around are supposed to have Katie on Speed Dial? And what would she say if she did answer? How do you know they didn't call her? Adam Schefter is the "rumor" guy. His job is to report juicy rumors... Is it his job to NOT post what an agent tells him because Katie refuses to talk to him? Do you think he's refusing to talk to Katie?

The Bengals have an earned reputation and have done nothing to change the narrative. The coverage they get is fair. Everything else is people whining because they're hearing things they don't like.

5 hours ago, High School Harry said:

Bad mouthing your probable future employer in the media is

not a wise choice.

Being petty with your first round pick and hopefully franchise cornerstone is not a wise choice either.

I have a hard time believing all this drama is over the Bengals trying to catch up to what the rest of the NFL is doing. Sitting out over standard league-wide boilerplate language? If this agent has any other NFL clients he'd know it's not a hill worth dying on for his client & a normal part of the business.

Besides, when has keeping pace with the competition ever been their concern? It may be similar to other teams but there's something to it that was unexpected. The "conduct detrimental" stuff is too vague, there's a level of detail involved in defining language like that & we don't get to see it. That's likely where they're hung up, rather than the general idea of guaranteed money coming with some conditions.

I thought some of that was in the CBA? Can a star LB still plead guilt to obstruction in a murder case and not miss training camp?

The CBA says no doubling up of discipline between the league and a club when a player does something bad. The league has jurisdiction over personal conduct and drug testing. Players know that the NFL imposes discipline based on PR considerations rather than the substance of the matter. One might have expected Rashee Rice with his 8 felony charges to have been suspended last year but the league has decided to wait.

The Bengals proposed contract language is basically an attempt to claw back money if the team regrets taking a risk with a first round pick. They can't get a refund for drafting a stiff but might for drafting a knucklehead. Contracts have to be mutually agreed to and Stewart has no particular reason to agree to potentially give money back, at least until he starts missing the money, in the regular season.

4 hours ago, sparky151 said:

The Bengals proposed contract language is basically an attempt to claw back money if the team regrets taking a risk with a first round pick. They can't get a refund for drafting a stiff but might for drafting a knucklehead.

Which might be why the Bengals/Brown family is doing it.

Someone (T Dub?) used tyhe term "buyer's remorse".

They don't want to pay top dollar for another Mild Murphy

or Dax Hill.

2 hours ago, High School Harry said:

Which might be why the Bengals/Brown family is doing it.

Someone (T Dub?) used tyhe term "buyer's remorse".

They don't want to pay top dollar for another Mild Murphy

or Dax Hill.

Jury is still out on Murphy, but they picked up the 5th year option on Hill because of how well he played at CB before his unfortunate knee injury. Maybe Hill should have been a CB all along.

My understanding is that the default language being proposed in Stewart’s contract is used by much of the NFL. A prominent example is with Jameson Williams and Detroit, where his gambling suspension voided the guaranteed money in his rookie deal. He still wound up earning the same amount, but it was no longer guaranteed and they could have cut him and held on to the money. It’s not like this is controversial or shady as more than half the league has used similar language in their contracts. The issue to me is the approach the team has used to this point. They could have offered some type of incentive to Stewart in exchange for accepting the language since he’s the first Bengals player to be subject to it. That kind of basic compromise would be better than a stalemate ending with a pissed off player who’s missed all on-field work so far. Their hardball tactics are the main reason he didn’t sign the injury waiver and instead sat out.

On 6/20/2025 at 3:13 PM, Inigo Montoya said:

My understanding is that the default language being proposed in Stewart’s contract is used by much of the NFL. A prominent example is with Jameson Williams and Detroit, where his gambling suspension voided the guaranteed money in his rookie deal. He still wound up earning the same amount, but it was no longer guaranteed and they could have cut him and held on to the money. It’s not like this is controversial or shady as more than half the league has used similar language in their contracts. The issue to me is the approach the team has used to this point. They could have offered some type of incentive to Stewart in exchange for accepting the language since he’s the first Bengals player to be subject to it. That kind of basic compromise would be better than a stalemate ending with a pissed off player who’s missed all on-field work so far. Their hardball tactics are the main reason he didn’t sign the injury waiver and instead sat out.

I thought the CBA covered the "conduct detrimental", refunds due for suspensions, off-field stuff?

"Similar" language is not identical. It's possible the Bengals are still trying to do it their way instead of imitating everyone else.

My hunch is the team's still in their feels over Ja'Marr/Tee & Trey. Suddenly they want to keep up with the rest of the league? Since when? And over this?

On 6/20/2025 at 12:04 PM, High School Harry said:

Which might be why the Bengals/Brown family is doing it.

Someone (T Dub?) used tyhe term "buyer's remorse".

They don't want to pay top dollar for another Mild Murphy

or Dax Hill.

Eating a first round bust is part of doing business in the NFL. If it happens too often, go hire better evaluators instead of trying to wring that money back out of the next first round pick and make better picks. If they won't do that but don't have the stomach for the risk they need to step away from the high-stakes table. Maybe sell it off to someone who doesn't need NFL matching funds to pay their bills.

Owning a pro sports franchise is like end-game gambling, to be treated like a racehorse. It's the big-boy prestige item, "how we name royalty in this country" to paraphrase Billions. It's not the corner deli & no place for the cautious, safe, and timid. Honestly the Browns/Blackburns may own this team but they act more like they're only managing it. It's a line on a graph to them. Team culture, once again.

Only two first round picks remain unsigned.

Shemar Stewart is half of them.

19 minutes ago, High School Harry said:

Only two first round picks remain unsigned.

Shemar Stewart is half of them.

Meh, guy has even refused to sign an injury clause which all rookies sign. The idea that somehow the Bengals are not allowed to use the same language many teams use to protect themselves from knucklehead behavior is kind of laughable.

Actual training camp hasn’t started so I am not worried yet.

Never liked the pick anyways. He didn’t produce in college based on his draft slot, seems to be another underwear warrior like John Ross although Ross actually did produced in college.

59 minutes ago, SF2 said:

Meh, guy has even refused to sign an injury clause which all rookies sign. The idea that somehow the Bengals are not allowed to use the same language many teams use to protect themselves from knucklehead behavior is kind of laughable.

Actual training camp hasn’t started so I am not worried yet.

Never liked the pick anyways. He didn’t produce in college based on his draft slot, seems to be another underwear warrior like John Ross although Ross actually did produced in college.

I agree.

Correct me if I am wrong but it seems like he can still EARN

the incentives the Bengals are offering only they are not guaranteed.

This would seem reasonable considering his college output.

Stewart will be the last 1st rounder to sign this year, just as Mims was the last to sign last year. Seems to be a trend developing.

28 minutes ago, dex said:

Stewart will be the last 1st rounder to sign this year, just as Mims was the last to sign last year. Seems to be a trend developing.

It was like that in the old days before they "slotted" the salaries of draft picks. The Bengals fought tooth and nail to the end to save a few bucks.

Yeah, and why wouldn't they? The price of day passes in Gstaad keeps going up every year. It's so unfair.

4 hours ago, High School Harry said:

This would seem reasonable considering his college output.

Good lord. You can't draft a guy at #17 and then go "But you suck so accept this crappy contract." WTF???

Stewart’s agent is basically saying the main point I said a few days ago. The contract is guaranteed but the team should have the ability to void in certain circumstances. But since the team hasn’t used that language previously, it should be negotiated between the sides if they want Stewart to accept it.

17 minutes ago, LostInDaJungle said:

Good lord. You can't draft a guy at #17 and then go "But you suck so accept this crappy contract." WTF???

There is absolutely nothing wrong with his contract. Many teams in the league use the same language in their contracts. He is GUARANTEED the same amount of money anyone in his draft slot would earn.

22 minutes ago, Inigo Montoya said:

Stewart’s agent is basically saying the main point I said a few days ago. The contract is guaranteed but the team should have the ability to void in certain circumstances. But since the team hasn’t used that language previously, it should be negotiated between the sides if they want Stewart to accept it.

And the fact that the team had not used it previously is meaningless. It isn’t some off the wall unique contract, it’s a standard contract for many teams.

4 minutes ago, SF2 said:

There is absolutely nothing wrong with his contract. Many teams in the league use the same language in their contracts. He is GUARANTEED the same amount of money anyone in his draft slot would earn.

I am glad YOU feel that way. 😆

1 minute ago, LostInDaJungle said:

I am glad YOU feel that way. 😆

Well, he can enjoy a year off from football then. If he can’t trust himself to conduct himself like a professional I don’t want him. Went thru a decade of dumbass players making the Bengals look like shit.

BTW, Abdul Carter, signed his contract, which includes the now-controversial (for a Bengals player that is) provision. I guess Carter has more faith in himself.

The Burton fiasco last year was bad enough although these particular clauses would not have cost him money.

9 minutes ago, SF2 said:

Well, he can enjoy a year off from football then. If he can’t trust himself to conduct himself like a professional I don’t want him. Went thru a decade of dumbass players making the Bengals look like shit.

BTW, Abdul Carter, signed his contract, which includes the now-controversial (for a Bengals player that is) provision. I guess Carter has more faith in himself.

The Burton fiasco last year was bad enough although these particular clauses would not have cost him money.

And you can enjoy rooting for the league's 25th ranked defense I guess.

2 minutes ago, LostInDaJungle said:

And you can enjoy rooting for the league's 25th ranked defense I guess.

Well, I did last year and this guy isn’t going to improve it.

Travis Hunter signed his contract today. So Shemar Stewart is the only unsigned 1st rounder left. Mims was the last 1st rounder to sign last year, but I can't what the date was last summer when an agreement was reached.