There’s been some buzz in recent days about Bengals first-round DE Shemar Stewart considering a return to college football as his standoff with Cincinnati over his rookie contract continues.

It originates from a report from Bud Elliott of CBS News who said he had heard Stewart was working out and “fully involved” at Texas A&M, with a source saying Stewart could try to return to college football for a season and re-enter the 2026 draft.

Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer clarified that Stewart is working out at the Texas A&M facilities to stay in shape for the upcoming pro season and not practicing with the team, and that this is relatively common for players. Both she and Pro Football Talk point out Texas A&M has not started fall practices, so there are no organized activities for Stewart to be involved with.

But PFT adds that, best as it can tell, Stewart would be interested in exploring any financial offer from Texs A&M or another school, and there could be an avenue to potentially challenge the NCAA rules about drafted players being ineligible to return to college football given the widespread changes and professionalization at that level.

Mark Levin and Todd Flanagan of Pro Football Consulting, who wrote the certification test that agents have to pass to represent NFL players, tweeted out some relevant rules that apply to Stewart and his situation.

If an NFL draft pick has not signed by the 30th day prior to the first regular season game (August 6 this year), then neither his contract rights nor any contract he signs can be traded (2025 only), and he can only sign with the drafting club.

If no contract by the Monday after Week 10, the player cannot sign for the 2025 season and can only sign a futures deal with the drafting club.

If not signed by the next draft, he becomes draft eligible by every club except the prior drafting club for 2026.

Through it all, the player is not subject to any fines or discipline because he is not under contract with any team.

Overall it’s a fascinating situation that could be becoming closer to reality than just theoretical, with the start of training camp just around the corner.

Rookie contract disputes have become far rarer after the league instituted a wage scale a decade and a half ago that slots all draft pick contracts. However, higher draft picks have a few points they can negotiate on still.

The Bengals and Stewart are at odds because Cincinnati is changing the language regarding how guarantees can be voided and the percentage of compensation in future years paid as a training-camp roster bonus instead of in base salary. The contracts for the Bengals’ last two first-round picks did not contain the language differences, though they are a lot more common for other teams.

Stewart remains dug-in on his stance that he wants the same language the Bengals have given to their other first-round picks. It’s yet another frustrating contract situation for the Bengals, and Stewart raised eyebrows by publicly calling out the front office, which he said seemed more concerned about winning contract negotiations than games.

Stewart, 21, was a five-star recruit who was the ninth-ranked player and the third-ranked defensive lineman in the 2022 recruiting class. He committed to Texas A&M and became a full-time starter in his junior year, earning third-team All-SEC honors.

The Bengals selected Stewart with the No. 17 overall pick in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. He’s projected to sign a four-year, $18,942,634 contract that includes a $10,416,460 signing bonus. The contract includes a fifth-year option for the team to pick up in 2028.

In his collegiate career, Stewart appeared in 37 games for Texas A&M and recorded 30 total tackles, four passes defended, one forced fumble, two recoveries, and 4.5 sacks.

We’ll have more on the Bengals and Stewart as the news is available.

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