“Whatever the Bengals are doing with a first-round draft pick in an era where the rookie wage scale exists is unprofessional. Cincinnati and Shemar Stewart are at odds over interpretation of language in the contract that could affect Stewart's guaranteed money in his rookie deal, causing the first-round pick to hold out from minicamp.”

The implementation of a rookie wage scale in 2011 has largely ended contract holdouts of draft picks, with a couple of exceptions.

Amid contract disputes with rookie pass-rusher Shemar Stewart and All-Pro pass-rusher Trey Hendrickson, the Cincinnati Bengals have reportedly gained a reputation within the NFL for being tough negotiators.