Camp Chaos Raises the Temperature on Zac Taylor: Bengals Coach Faces Mounting Pressure as Stewart and Hendrickson Dig In

CINCINNATI, Ohio — June 18, 2025 — The Queen City is baking in high‑80s humidity, but the fiercest heat isn’t coming off the tarmac at CVG or the baked concrete outside Paycor Stadium. It’s radiating from inside the Cincinnati Bengals’ locker room, where first‑round rookie edge rusher Shemar Stewart and All‑Pro veteran Trey Hendrickson are locked in simultaneous contract standoffs that have turned mandatory minicamp into a high‑stakes staredown — and placed head coach Zac Taylor squarely under the klieg lights of job‑saving scrutiny.

Hendrickson, who produced a league‑leading 18.5 sacks last season, skipped all three minicamp sessions after publicly declaring he will “never line up again” for $15.8 million — the final year of a deal that suddenly looks like a bargain‑bin special in today’s exploding EDGE market. Front‑office sources confirm the sides resumed talks over the weekend, but insiders say Hendrickson is aiming for a new pact in the ballpark of $38 million per year, a figure that would leapfrog the annual average of Maxx Crosby and sit just shy of the mega‑tiers Myles Garrett and Micah Parsons are expected to command.

The absence is already palpable. During 11‑on‑11 drills, coordinator Derrick Brooks cycled through second‑year end Myles Murphy and journeyman Joseph Ossai on the right edge, yet neither generated the lightning‑quick get‑off Hendrickson supplies on third down. Taylor admitted afterward that the front four “doesn’t scare anybody right now,” a sobering acknowledgment for a unit that surrendered 30‑plus points six times last season despite Hendrickson’s heroics.

If losing a proven star stings, watching your prize rookie stay away might be the gut punch that drops an entire staff. Stewart, selected 20th overall out of Texas A&M, bolted after Day 2 of minicamp, blasting the club’s proposed “default clause” — language that could void guaranteed money if he is suspended for off‑field conduct. Stewart’s camp calls the clause “unprecedented for a non‑quarterback first‑rounder,” while the Bengals insist it’s standard protection after recent disciplinary flare‑ups league‑wide. The rookie’s camp has drawn a hard line: delete the clause or risk his missing half of training camp.

Under the CBA, Cincinnati has until August 5 — 30 days before Week 1 — to sign Stewart or lose the right to trade him this season. If the contract isn’t executed by November 11, Stewart must sit out the entire year. That scenario would not only waste a first‑round asset but also spotlight Taylor’s unenviable task of fielding a playoff‑caliber defense without either of the rushers who were supposed to bookend it.

Taylor’s critics were already sharpening their knives. After back‑to‑back missed postseasons — the Bengals finished 9‑8 in 2024 despite a fully healthy Joe Burrow and a top‑five offense — Pro Football Focus dubbed the sixth‑year coach “one of 2025’s most obvious hot‑seat candidates.” Another year outside the playoffs would make him just the second coach in franchise history to squander consecutive seasons of a top‑five scoring attack. With training camp now teetering on dysfunction, Taylor’s best‑case road map to survival narrows to navigating contract minefields, restoring locker‑room unity, and proving he can win meaningful games without DC Lou Anarumo, who was dismissed in January.

Bengals Twitter — never known for moderation — has morphed into a rolling bonfire of indignation. One trending hashtag, #PayTheRushers, pits team‑friendly‑deal advocates against cap‑hawk realists who fear mortgaging future flexibility with Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, and Orlando Brown Jr. all due for raises. Season‑ticket holders outside Gate C voiced dueling choruses: some chanting “Sign She‑mar!” while others booed perceived rookie greed. The fracture lines slice straight through the fanbase and, by extension, the locker room Taylor insists is still “together.”

Director of player personnel Duke Tobin faces an unenviable numbers game. EDGE salaries have exploded 29 percent in 18 months; meanwhile, Stewart seeks to become the first rookie defender to eclipse $35 million in fully guaranteed compensation over four years. The team’s cap currently shows $16.4 million in space — enough to satisfy one contract, but not both without triggering restructures or painful veteran cuts. Around the league, other elite rushers like Micah Parsons and T.J. Watt eye Hendrickson’s negotiations, knowing any Bengals overpay will serve as a pretext for their own salary hikes.

Negotiations with Hendrickson are expected to resume daily until veterans report on July 23. Stewart’s camp has shown no sign of budging, but the Bengals believe peer pressure from Burrow and Chase — both of whom offered public “We need you” sound bites — could soften the rookie’s stance once live reps begin. Should talks crater, Cincinnati might explore a tag‑and‑trade for Hendrickson or dangle next year’s first‑rounder for a stopgap pass rusher — risky gambles for a front office that has prided itself on draft‑and‑develop stability.

The Bengals thought the 2025 offseason would be about polishing an already‑sparkling offense and fine‑tuning a defense that ranked 25th in points allowed. Instead, Zac Taylor heads toward training camp juggling two holdouts, a restless fanbase, and a front office suddenly portrayed as tone‑deaf. If Cincinnati can’t corral at least one of its disgruntled edge rushers before full‑contact practices start, Taylor may find that the hottest seat in franchise history burns a coach long before autumn’s first chill ever hits the Ohio River Valley.