Less than 24 hours before he was due to report to training camp, Denver Broncos first-round pick Jahdae Barron agreed to terms on his rookie contract. The No. 20 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft is expected to make an immediate impact for one of the most aggressive defenses in the NFL as the starting nickelback, flanked by reigning Defensive Player of the Year Patrick Surtain II and Riley Moss.
Barron recorded 67 combined tackles, 11 passes defensed and five interceptions for the Texas Longhorns last season, which earned him the 2024 Jim Thorpe Award as the best defensive back in college football. He boasted a 91.3 PFF coverage grade last year, which ranked No. 2 among FBS cornerbacks.
With Barron now under contract, just one first-round pick remains unsigned: former Texas A&M pass rusher Shemar Stewart, who was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals with the No. 17 overall pick.
It has arguably been the most infamous storyline of the offseason. Stewart has done zero on-field work with his new team due to language in his rookie contract related to the potential voiding of future guarantees. This language was not present in the contracts of previous Bengals’ first-round picks, so Stewart has yet to put pen to paper.
“I’m not asking for anything crazy,” Stewart told ESPN in May. “I’m not even asking for nothing. I just want things to be consistent. I just want consistent language as in the past contracts. I just won’t practice until I get that.”
Stewart’s situation made even more headlines this week when CBS Sports college analyst Bud Elliott revealed on the Cover 3 podcast that the 21-year-old pass rusher has actually been working out at Texas A&M this summer.
“A guy who has had some good A&M stuff in the past, he hit me, he’s like, ‘Hey, Shemar might end up back here,'” Elliott said.
“‘He’s been at College Station, he’s been fully involved in workouts,” Elliott said. “He’s holding out from the Bengals, (the) relationship is toxic. He could try to come back and play again this season and go into the draft again next year.'”
Back to school? Back to the draft? Shemar Stewart could exploit loophole in chaotic rulebook to burn Bengals
John Breech
It’s worth noting that the NCAA prohibits players from returning to the college ranks after being drafted. However, Stewart could sue for the right to return to College Station and play football, which is a possibility that feels even more likely due to the current state of affairs in college football. That would be quite the turn of events in this ridiculous saga.
Bengals rookies will report to training camp this Friday. We’ll see what happens with Stewart.
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Author: Jordan Dajani
July 16, 2025 | 12:56 pm
