The Cincinnati Bengals have failed to reach another agreement with rookie Shemar Stewart, meaning he will be excluded from the offseason program.

The Cincinnati Bengals and their first-round pick Shemar Stewart are still unable to agree on a contract. But the saga continues.

The NFL franchise has also failed to offer Stewart an acceptable participation agreement for the offseason program.

This guarantees the player financial compensation should he suffer an injury during preseason training. The deal is simply intended to assure the player that he would get the same contract as if he had not been injured. Even though the contract is still being worked out.

According to “Pro Football Talk,” the two sides couldn’t even agree on why Stewart is staying away from training in the first place.

Cincinnati Bengals deviate from the norm

In addition, the tone of the Bengals’ participation agreement offer was compared to that of other teams. Differences in wording are noticeable.

Among other things, the Bengals did not include in their offer to Stewart a guarantee of a contract that is “appropriate for the pick position.” Stewart was selected 17th overall and would therefore have to earn a certain salary. Other NFL teams have included this passage in their participation agreement offers.

In addition, the Bengals wanted to reduce the salary. Their participation agreement offer to Stewart stated that if he were injured during the offseason and unable to play, he would face financial penalties in the contract. The Bengals also included a passage designed to protect the team from “physical disability” of the player in the event that he suffered such a serious injury.

Stewart, on the other hand, wanted the same participation agreement that the Bengals offered rookie tackle Amarius Mims (drafted 18th overall) last year. That was rejected. Stewart did not sign, of course, and is staying away from the offseason program.