Shemar Stewart back at Texas A&M? Contract dispute with Bengals casts doubt on future
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Despite being a first-round pick by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2025 NFL Draft, there’s significant doubt over Shemar Stewart’s football future.
Stewart has yet to sign his rookie contract with the Bengals and the two parties have not yet agreed on terms. As the negotiations run up to the start of training camp, Stewart is reportedly back practicing at Texas A&M.
At least one report from 247Sports’ Bud Elliott recently suggested Stewart was back with the Aggies and could try to return to college football in 2025.
“A guy who has had some good A&M stuff in the past, he hit me and he’s like, ‘Hey, Shemar might end up back here … He’s been at College Station. He’s been fully involved in workouts,” Elliott said on the Cover 3 podcast this week. “He could try to come back and play again this season and go into the draft next year.”
As it turns out, Texas A&M may not be quite that lucky. Per existing rules, Stewart would not be able to play for the Aggies in 2025. However, he could re-enroll at Texas A&M while sitting out the year and re-enter the NFL Draft in 2026.
That’s according to Benjamin Allbright:
Elliott and his Cover 3 co-hosts speculated Stewart could file a lawsuit in order to regain his college eligibility if he doesn’t come to terms with the Bengals.
However, there are conflicting reports on this matter. Per Kelsey Conway, who covers the Bengals for the Cincinnati Enquirer, Stewart has been using A&M’s facilities to workout this summer but has not been practicing with the Aggies as Elliott suggested on the Cover 3 Podcast.
Of course, it’s possible Stewart will eventually come to an agreement with the Bengals before the start of training camp.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
