As the Kansas City Chiefs endeavor to make a fourth consecutive Super Bowl appearance next season, one of their AFC rivals is set to begin the next part of its offseason program with a false start.
The Cincinnati Bengals, who are notably among Kansas City’s most bitter playoff nemeses, won’t have rookie Shemar Stewart on the field for Phase 2 of offseason workouts due to a disagreement over the language in his rookie contract, which still hasn’t been signed.
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Stewart, who was Cincinnati’s first-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft, seems keen to sit out until the dispute is settled.
NFL insider Jordan Schultz first reported Stewart’s expected absence in a post to Twitter on Tuesday:
While the Bengals’ latest front-office meltdown won’t directly affect the Chiefs, Kansas City’s fans should be thrilled that a player of Stewart’s caliber is already causing Cincinnati headaches before playing a snap in the NFL.
This article originally appeared on Chiefs Wire: Cincinnati Bengals dealing with rookie holdout amid contract dispute