CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Bengals have reached a contract agreement with their second-round pick, Demetrius Knight Jr., the Bengals announced Saturday.
NFL Insider Jordan Schultz first reported that Knight and the Bengals have agreed to a four-year deal, with nearly 80% fully guaranteed at signing.
Schultz said it's the first time in NFL history that the 49th pick of the NFL Draft has had guarantees in year four of their contract.
"With Cincinnati's rookies reporting to camp today, the standout LB out of South Carolina is now officially under contract and ready to go," Schultz wrote.
Sources: The #Bengals and 2nd-round LB Demetrius Knight Jr. have agreed to a 4-year rookie deal with nearly 80 percent fully guaranteed at signing. It’s the first time in NFL history that the 49th pick has had guarantees in year four.
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) July 19, 2025
With Cincinnati’s rookies reporting to camp… pic.twitter.com/Vfc44XKhCQ
Knight is projected to be a starting linebacker for the Bengals this upcoming season. The 6-foot-2 and 235-pound 24-year-old tied for the most forced fumbles and finished with 82 tackles in his senior season with South Carolina.
Watch our full 1-on-1 with Knight after he was drafted:
While Knight has reached his deal with Cincinnati, first-round pick Shemar Stewart still remains without a contract. Stewart hasn't signed his rookie deal with Cincinnati amid a dispute over the language in his contract.
Stewart reportedly left mandatory minicamp in June after never having practiced with the team.
After Stewart left minicamp, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said he and Stewart "have had positive conversations."
"I think, for all the rookies, you'd like them to be on the field, but certainly there's things that happen over the course of an NFL career and this is one of them right now," Taylor said.
The head coach also admitted he hasn't experienced a situation where a first round draft pick does not have a contract at this point, saying, "There's a first time for everything."
Stewart has previously told reporters he stands by his decision not to sign.
"In my case, I'm 100% right," Stewart said.
While Knight reported with the rest of the rookies to training camp Saturday, Schultz also reported that there has been "no progress having been made toward a deal" with Stewart.
As their rookies report to camp today, #Bengals 1st-round pick Shemar Stewart remains unsigned with no progress having been made toward a deal. https://t.co/28ZtSx7Bls
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) July 19, 2025
Training camp officially kicks off for the Bengals on Wednesday, July 23. Cincinnati's first preseason game is Thursday, Aug. 7, against the Philadelphia Eagles.
