When the Baltimore Ravens announced the signing of their first-round pick, Georgia safety Malaki Starks, few players were happier than his new teammate Marlon Humphrey. But the star corner's observation was taken as a jab at the Cincinnati Bengals’ ongoing contract standoff with their own first-round pick, Shemar Stewart.
The rivalry between the Ravens and the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC North has always been fierce. But the Ravens cornerback accidentally (he says) fanned the flames by aimed squarely at the Bengals’ biggest offseason drama.
While Stewart, the 17th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, remains absent from OTAs due to a contract dispute, Starks has been fully participating, despite not having a signed deal at the time. After the Ravens announced they had signed Starks to a four-year contract, Humphrey quote-tweeted the news with a pointed remark: "Contract wasn't signed but still practicing."
The Bengals continue to suffer bad publicity as Stewart's contract dispute prolongs
The message was widely interpreted as a dig at Stewart, but Humphrey denied that in a subsequent tweet.
"I actually was taking a shot at agents. Didn’t mean no disrespect to the bengals player yall talking about lol," Humphrey wrote.
Stewart has been attending meetings but refusing to practice until contract language, particularly clauses that could void guaranteed money, is resolved. The Bengals’ insistence on including such clauses has reportedly been a sticking point, and Stewart’s camp is pushing back, citing inconsistencies with past rookie deals.
To be fair, there are other first-rounders, such as Travis Hunter, Will Campbell, Walter Nolen, Jahdae Barron, Maxwell Hairston, and Jihaad Campbell, who have yet to sign their rookie contracts as of May 30th. But unlike the Bengals' situation, you are not hearing anything negative about their negotiations.
Ravens stability stands counter to Bengals drama
The Ravens have been a model of consistency, which began under the leadership of former general manager Ozzie Newsome, followed by Eric DeCosta, who succeeded Newsome in January 2019. Since 2000, they have made the playoffs 16 times and won two Super Bowl titles (XXXV and XLVII). The biggest reason why the Ravens remain consistent is that they draft well.
They drafted Lamar Jackson, Nnamdi Maubuike, Humphrey and Kyle Hamilton in recent years. And if you want to go even further back, they have drafted Hall of Famers like Jonathan Ogden, Rey Lewis, Ed Reed, and Terrell Suggs, who have set the standard high and helped build a strong culture.
Meanwhile, the Bengals are already under scrutiny for their handling of veteran edge rusher Trey Hendrickson’s contract situation. And now, Stewart’s holdout is drawing more negative attention to Cincinnati’s reputation for being frugal with player contracts. And that has to sting the Bengals fans, who must deal with a perception that continues to dog the franchise.