One year ago, the Bengals prioritized a long-term extension for safety Jessie Bates. That never materialized, leading the sides to a similar situation this year. Despite the franchise tag being in place, a new deal is still the team’s goal, reports Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Bates would have been one of the top safeties on the market had he reached free agency. To no one’s surprise, though, the Bengals used the franchise tag on the 25-year-old earlier this month. That opened up a negotiating window which lasts until July 15 for the two sides to agree on a new deal. If that doesn’t happen, he will earn $12.9M in 2022.
“We obviously tried to get him re-signed last year”, said Bengals executive VP Katie Blackburn. “Thought we had a good chance of getting that done but it didn’t quite get there. I think they wanted to see where the market went in free agency and at some point, we’ll circle back with him and see where we are.”
Bates had an underwhelming regular season in 2021, recording 88 tackles and one interception. He had two picks and four pass breakups in a more true-to-form postseason, however. That could help him land a contract placing him amongst the highest-paid safeties in the league. Conway names Justin Simmons, Kevin Byard, Marcus Williams and Harrison Smith as relevant comparisons to Bates. That quartet currently averages $14.8M per season.
While nothing seems imminent regarding contract talks between the two sides, this situation will certainly be one to follow throughout the spring.
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