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As Shemar Stewart<\/a> continues to engage in a unique contract dispute with the Bengals, the first-round rookie will not practice with his new squad. However, Stewart was in the building for the first day of mandatory minicamp.<\/p>\n According to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com<\/a>, the rookie defensive lineman was in attendance for the start of minicamp Tuesday, but he doesn\u2019t intend to hit the practice field until he inks his rookie contract. The stare down has gone on for more than a month, as the player\u2019s camp pushes against a clause that would \u201cturn a default in any given year into a void of all remaining guarantees\u201d (per Florio).<\/p>\n This is a new tactic from the Bengals front office, as recent Day 1 picks signed contracts that simply voided the guarantees for the year in which the default occurred. Cincinnati also apparently proposed a payment schedule that did not match that of Myles Murphy<\/a> and Amarius Mims<\/a>, the team\u2019s first-round picks in 2023 and 2024. That issue seems to have been resolved.<\/p>\n This seems like a relatively minor detail that could be hammered out quickly, but the two sides continue to struggle to find common ground on the generally straight-forward rookie pact. Even Stewart admitted to reporters that he expected to be on the practice field by now.<\/p>\n \u201cVery bad,\u201d Stewart responded when asked how badly he wants to practice (via Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer<\/a>). \u201cI\u2019ve been doing this for most of my whole life, then all of a sudden it\u2019s gone over something very simple to fix. It\u2019s kind of disappointing.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n As the rookie pushes back against a new precedent set by the Bengals front office, he has the support of the locker room. Stewart told reporters that his veteran teammates have told him he\u2019s doing the right thing by pushing for a more traditional rookie contract (via Jay Morrison of BengalsTalk.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n Stewart\u2019s dispute with the organization comes as Trey Hendrickson<\/a> is in a public showdown with the organization. The rookie pointed to his veteran teammate\u2019s absence when addressing his own \u201chold-in.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe all agree Trey will be alright,\u201d Stewart said (via Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports<\/a>). \u201cBut technically he\u2019s still 1% wrong for being under contract. In my case, I\u2019m 100% right.\u201d<\/p>\n Considering the uncertainty surrounding Hendrickson\u2019s future in Cincy, the Bengals would surely want their first-round pick on the practice field sooner than later. Still, it sounds like neither side is inclined to blink, meaning this staring contest could continue for the foreseeable future.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n This article first appeared on Pro Football Rumors<\/a> and was syndicated with permission.<\/p>\n\n