Why Bengals are seen as winners in Shemar Stewart contract standoff

The contract standoff between Shemar Stewart and the Cincinnati Bengals ended Friday, as the pass rusher signed a four-year, fully guaranteed deal worth $18.97 million. The contract includes a $10.4 million signing bonus, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Both sides reportedly reached a compromise to finalize the deal. Stewart is set to receive a more lucrative payout structure than previous No. 17 picks in exchange for accepting new language the Bengals included in their rookie contracts.

With the contract now signed, the conversation turns to which side won the negotiation, and CBS Sports' John Breech believes that Cincinnati came out the winner in these talks.

READ MORE:Bengals' priorities questioned with Trey Hendrickson decision

"Well, the one thing that doesn't surprise me is that the void language is there," Breech said Friday on CBS Sports HQ. "The Bengals played hardball, and they essentially won. They only gave up the $500,000 in extra signing bonus money... It did not feel like at any point that the Bengals were going to blink in this game. This negotiation was not going to end unless that void language ended up in the contract...

"So they basically just wanted language saying that if Stewart got arrested or if he got suspended for some on-the-field behavior, they would have the right to void some of that guaranteed money. And now they have that right too... This will make life easier for them down the road with future rookies, and it looks like Shemar Stewart got a small pay bump in his signing bonus. But ultimately, it feels like the Bengals got what they wanted and won this negotiation."

Stewart is now heading to training camp to prepare for the preseason. Now, the Bengals can turn their attention to Trey Hendrickson. While it's nice to have the rookie signed before any games are played, Cincinnati's next hurdle is finding common ground with their star pass rusher, who is coming off back-to-back 17.5 sack seasons.