The Cincinnati Bengals announced that S Jessie Bates has formally signed his franchise tag.
The team announced two other moves, waiving QB Drew Plitt and moving S Brandon Wilson to the reserve/PUP list.
Wilson had been on the active PUP list before but now will not count against the active roster. He’ll miss the first four games of the season before he can return.
Bates will make $12.9 million fully guaranteed for the 2022 season under the franchise tag.
Bates, 25, is a former second-round pick of the Bengals back in 2018. He played out the final year of his four-year rookie contract worth $4,947,818 that included a signing bonus of $1,678,412.
Bates was set to be an unrestricted free agent in 2022 when the Bengals placed the franchise tag on him worth $12.911 million fully guaranteed.
In 2021, Bates appeared in 15 games for the Bengals and recorded 88 tackles, one interception, a fumble recovery, and four pass deflections.
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