It’s finally done, signed and sealed.
Shemar Stewart plays for the Cincinnati Bengals.
Stewart, a 2022 graduate of Monsignor Edward Pace High School, signed his first NFL contract on July 26, three months after he was Bengals’ first-round selection at the draft.
The 21-year-old defensive end held off signing his first professional contract because of a dispute over language within the deal, specifically about the ways the Bengals could choose to exercise their right to void future salary guarantees.
The sides eventually found common ground and Stewart took part in his first training camp workout on July 27, a few days behind the rest of his teammates.
The delay is not expected to keep him from being ready to play this season.
“I need to start learning, start getting better,” Stewart told reporters in Cincinnati after his first practice as a pro. “It’s a long season ahead. I need to be ready.”
Holdouts over contract disputes are common in professional sports, although the root of those issues is almost always money.
That wasn’t the case with Stewart. By NFL rule, his salary is determined by the rookie wage scale: As the No. 17 overall pick, he was signing a four-year contract worth a total of $18,969,276, including a signing bonus of $10,435,836.
His annual salary over the next four years will be an average of about $2.2 million.
Stewart and his representatives simply wanted assurances that the Bengals could void the deal for only very specific reasons, and eventually some sort of deal that satisfied both sides was struck.
“It’s time for all football, nothing but football now,” Stewart said during training camp. “I don’t have to worry about anything else other than football. …
“Growing up, dreaming this dream, you never know what it’ll feel like,” he said. “I still can’t put it into words. I just feel happy, like a deep sense of joy.”
Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Shemar Stewart shown in photos taken during training camp on July 27 in Ohio.
The team is scheduled to play the Miami Dolphins on Dec. 21 in Miami Gardens.
To see video of Stewart during training camp go to tinyurl.com/mv446xax.
If the first day of practice was any indication, the Bengals have high hopes and big plans for Stewart.
He was with the “first team,” the football term for the starting unit, for about 10 plays during his first practice, Bengals coach Zac Taylor told reporters then.
“It’s just good to go full speed with him,” Taylor said.
Barring any sort of injury or setback, Stewart – who stands 6-foot-5 and weighs 267 pounds – will likely appear in Cincinnati’s first preseason game on the road against defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia on Aug. 7.
Most NFL teams don’t play their best players for long in the preseason, and winning or losing those games doesn’t seem to matter much.
Cincinnati’s other preseason games are Aug. 18 at Washington and Aug. 23 at home against Indianapolis.
The Bengals open the regular season at Cleveland on Sept. 7, and will play the Miami Dolphins in Miami Gardens on Dec. 21.
The Bengals have high expectations this season, particularly with a star quarterback in Joe Burrow and a strong defense that they think gets stronger by landing Stewart.
He was a star at Texas A&M in college, and his athleticism makes it possible for him to both try to sack quarterbacks and chase down speedy running backs. And he was working out with Texas A&M players in recent weeks, staying ready in anticipation of his NFL contract getting done.
He was asked what message he has for Cincinnati fans.
“I’m here to work. I’m fully locked in. No distractions and I can’t wait to put on for y’all this season,” Stewart said.
The Miami native will have someone with Miami ties coaching him this season.
The Bengals’ defensive coordinator is Al Golden -- head football coach at the University of Miami from 2011-2015 who has returned to the NFL after coaching at Notre Dame last season.
And even though Stewart is used to playing in the steamy temperatures of South Florida, he said the summer conditions in Cincinnati threw him off in his first practice as well.
“Man, did y’all see me? I accidentally put some Gatorade on my face, thinking it was some water,” Stewart said. “I burned my eyeballs for a little bit. The heat got me at first, but I got used to it.”
Stewart has speed uncommon for a man his size: His 40-yard dash speed is 4.59 seconds and he was measured as having a 40-inch vertical leap at the NFL combine earlier this year.
Jumping ability like that, for context, means he would be able to dunk a basketball with incredible ease.
“This guy is special,” his former college teammate and current Bengals teammate McKinnley Jackson told reporters in Cincinnati.
Stewart will join a long line of former Monsignor Pace Spartans who have made their way to the NFL, a list that includes Kayvon
Webster, James Williams, Anthony Walker, DeMarcus Van Dyke, Stephen Morris, Joel Rodriguez, Nakia Reddick and Johnny Frost.
“Shemar was always a force on the field, but what set him apart was his commitment off the field -- his leadership, humanity and love for his school and teammates,” Tom Duffin, athletic director at Pace, said in a media release when Stewart got drafted earlier this year. “We knew he was something special.”