Stewart was drafted in the first round with the 17th overall pick by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2025 NFL draft.[10][11] Though he reported to mandatory rookie minicamp, Stewart refused to participate in on-field drills until he and the Bengals came to an agreement on his contract and would not sign a Rookie Participation Agreement (RPA).[12] He would publicly criticize the team over the frustrations with contract negotiations, specifically with the Bengals front office attempting to insert language that would affect guaranteed money Stewart would earn in the future.[13][14] Stewart would eventually leave minicamp early.[15] On July 21, 2025, Bengals owner, Mike Brown, stated the contract dispute centered around Stewart still being paid his full guarantees should he potentially engage in conduct detrimental to the team.[16] Brown would elaborate saying, “His agent wants it to be so that if he acted in a terrible fashion -- this is all hypothetical -- something that rises to the level of going to prison, that we would be on the line for the guarantees for the future years that haven't been paid. And our position is no, if that happens, we're not going to be. We're not going to be paying someone who's sitting in jail. That's not what we're going to do."[17] On July 26, Stewart signed a fully guaranteed four-year contract with updated contract language; making him the last of the Bengals' 2025 rookie class to officially be signed and the last first round pick of the 2025 NFL draft to be signed in the league.[18][19]
