The NFL hasn’t seen a player re-enter the draft after being selected in decades, but that could change if the Cincinnati Bengals and former Texas A&M standout Shemar Stewart don’t come to terms on a rookie deal.
As first pointed out by ESPN’s Jordan Reid on X, “Shemar Stewart can re‑enter the 2026 draft, but he would have to sit out a year.”
That scenario would be similar to that of the legendary Bo Jackson, who declined to sign with the Buccaneers after being picked No. 1 overall in 1986 and re-entered the league the next year, joining the Raiders.
Under the NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, a drafted rookie who remains unsigned past July 15 relinquishes rights to the team and becomes eligible for next year’s draft.
In a post by Adam Shefter via X, he indicated Stewart walked off the Bengals’ mandatory minicamp amid a standoff over guarantee voiding contract language, a clause he insists hasn’t been used on prior first-round picks.
If negotiations stall and Stewart opts to sit out the 2025 season, he could re-enter the 2026 NFL Draft at the cost of a full year without game reps or earning his estimated $840K base salary.
Meanwhile, Cincinnati has until August 5 to trade him, or he can potentially return to college or play in another league like the CFL.
But the Bengals would still have rights to him, though each option carries its problems.
For Cincinnati, many people and teams already poke fun at the organization for being underhanded, but what Stewart wants isn’t unreasonable, and with what’s going on, it’s hard not to be on the players' side of this.