Early on Tuesday, July 15, rumors sparked that the Cincinnati Bengals No. 17 overall pick Shemar Stewart was working out with his former Texas A&M team in the midst of a contract disagreement between him and the Bengals. Bud Elliott said on the Cover 3 podcast that with Stewart back in Texas and working out at the facilities, there's a possibility for the defensive end to return to Aggie Land. There's an option for him to re-enter the NFL Draft in 2026 if he remains unsigned and does not play this coming season.
Cinncinati Bengals' Shemar Stewart Returning to Texas A&M Aggies in Midst of Holdout Rumors Squashed originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Early on Tuesday, July 15, rumors sparked that the Cincinnati Bengals No. 17 overall pick Shemar Stewart was working out with his former Texas A&M team in the midst of a contract disagreement between him and the Bengals.
Bud Elliott said on the Cover 3 podcast that with Stewart back in Texas and working out at the facilities, there's a possibility for the defensive end to return to Aggie Land. There's an option for him to re-enter the NFL Draft in 2026 if he remains unsigned and does not play this coming season. Stewart could also ask for a trade. Either way, both parties need to come to a decision by early August and it appears Stewart is willing to hold out as long as possible.
As reported by the Cincinnati Enquirer's Kelsey Conway, though, returning back to the Aggies is out of the picture. Tuesday evening, she confirmed through a close source that Stewart is only practicing at the facilities and not with the team directly in order to prepare for the 2025 season with Cincinnati.
"Stewart lives in Texas when he’s not in Cincinnati," Conway wrote. "It’s common for rookies to return to their college during the offseason to train early on in their careers."
Stewart is one of two first-round selections from the 2025 NFL Draft to have not signed with their teams ahead of their rookie seasons. He had an issue with the language of his contract, however, and held out on both signing and practicing with Cincinnati. The Bengals added that if Stewart were to get in any trouble, they can void future guarantees. It's unusual for rookies to not be fully guaranteed.
Regardless of the dispute between Stewart and Cincinnati, though, he could not legally return to the Aggies. He could re-enroll and take classes at Texas A&M, but per NCAA rules, he would not be allowed to rejoin the football team. Returning to A&M would only keep him occupied in the meantime before the 2026 NFL Draft unless he threw himself into a legal battle to try and get back on the field.
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 16, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: General Sports
