Stewart has several options and he could quickly turn into the Bengals' (and NFL's) worst nightmare if he decides to go with a nuclear option of re-entering the draft next year, a process that is outlined in article 6 of the CBA .

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

“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.”