Do you think former Notre Dame football defensive coordinator Al Golden wishes he were still in South Bend? He can’t have envisioned when he took the DC job with the Cincinnati Bengals that he’d have to deal with the possibly not having the NFL’s returning sack leader or the first-round pick chosen to replace him.
Unfortunately, that’s exactly what Golden is dealing with now after the Bengals front office continues what has become a trend. That trend is going to war with players; they need to make a run at the Super Bowl.
Al Golden’s first post-Notre Dame offseason features star holdouts, rookie contract standoffs and zero serenity
Over the last few years, Cincy has feuded with wide receivers Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase. They’ve fought with the aforementioned sack leader, Trey Hendrickson. Now, they cannot keep rookie defensive lineman and first-round pick Shemar Stewart at their OTAs because of ridiculous contract demands. The former Notre Dame football defensive coordinator has to be wondering if he would have made the jump if he’d known this was how the franchise would operate.
Cincinnati’s unsigned first-round draft pick Shemar Stewart now has left mandatory minicamp, per source. Stewart had been attending team activities, but without a signed contract and with the Bengals asking for certain clauses, no longer. pic.twitter.com/qeo492Z6As
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 12, 2025
For his part, Golden is trying to stay out of the fight. However, he likes what he sees in Stewart. He’d almost certainly like to have him in camp. Not that he wouldn’t also love to have Hendrickson around.
The former Irish DC simply can’t love all that has come with the job since he arrived in Cincinnati. While there are things that drive coaches nuts about the college game these days, one thing that simply doesn’t happen is players holding out.
Meanwhile, Chris Ash is sitting around South Bend, looking at what kind of defense he can put together for the Notre Dame football team this season.