There is no love lost between the Kansas City Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals, who make up one of the NFL's best rivalries in recent years. From the epic playoff clashes to constant jawing between players and fans alike, these two teams and cities have made it clear that they don't like each other.
Fortunately for Chiefs Kingdom, things have worked in Kansas City's favor more often than not, particularly over the last few seasons. The Bengals fielded perhaps the worst defense in the NFL in 2024, leading to an embarrassing miss of the playoffs.
They haven't done much to address things over the last few months, and it's looking increasingly likely that they'll lose All-Pro defensive end Trey Hendrickson as well.
It's not a good time to be a Cincy fan. To make matters worse, they're now somehow dealing with contract drama surrounding first-round pick Shemar Stewart.
Bengals DE Shemar Stewart Held Out Of Rookie Minicamp Due To Contracthttps://t.co/pLWrqOThdD
— NFLTradeRumors.co (@nfltrade_rumors) May 12, 2025
Bengals First-Round DE Shemar Stewart Holds Out of Rookie Minicamp in Contract Dispute
As reported by Mike Florio of Pro Football Focus, Stewart held out of the Bengals' rookie minicamp last week due to a contract dispute. Stewart reportedly took issue with the percentage of compensation in future years paid as a bonus in training camp, so this is yet another example of Cincinnati ownership being cheap and hurting the roster.
To his credit, Stewart said that he hopes to get a deal done by next week so he can start practicing with his teammates. Even still, it's hilarious and somewhat sad that the Bengals can't sign a rookie who already has a set salary based on where he was selected. Cincinnati took Stewart with the No. 17 pick and he's the theoretical Hendrickson replacement, so him missing time doesn't help anything.
If Hendrickson does stick around, though that doesn't appear probable, Stewart could serve as a strong complement. Regardless, the Bengals' defense should once again struggle and put immense pressure on their offense.
Meanwhile, the Chiefs have one of the best defenses in football and made a series of moves to fill big holes across the roster. Kansas City reigns supreme in this rivalry. That doesn't look like it'll change anytime soon based on Cincy's continued mistakes.