diff --git a/vllm/v1/engine/core.py b/vllm/v1/engine/core.py
index 7fbce2da8587..04af8248eff9 100644
--- a/vllm/v1/engine/core.py
+++ b/vllm/v1/engine/core.py
@@ -461,6 +461,11 @@ def step_with_batch_queue(
         with self.log_error_detail(scheduler_output):
             model_output = future.result()
 
+            # Handle None return from execute_model (async scheduling)
+            if model_output is None:
+                grammar_output = self.scheduler.get_grammar_bitmask(scheduler_output)
+                model_output = self.model_executor.sample_tokens(grammar_output)
+
         # Before processing the model output, process any aborts that happened
         # during the model execution.
         self._process_aborts_queue()