Bengals' Jessie Bates ends holdout, signs franchise tag

Jessie Bates III is finally rejoining the Cincinnati Bengals after signing his franchise tag Tuesday, the team announced.

Bates, 25, received the tag in March and had until mid-July to negotiate a long-term contract extension. That deadline passed without a new deal and one report indicated that not only would Bates skip training camp, but he also had "no intention" of playing the 2022 season on the franchise tag. Evidently, that has changed as Bates has signed his one-year, $12.9 million contract.

The Bengals announced that Bates will be placed on the Exempt/Commissioner Permission list, giving the team two weeks to keep the safety with an extra roster spot.

Bates was a second-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft and has been a full-time starter for the Bengals for the last four seasons. In 63 career games, he has 10 interceptions, five tackles for loss and two forced fumbles. Bates was an AP Second Team All-Pro in 2020 and intercepted the Los Angeles Rams' Matthew Stafford in Super Bowl LVI in February.

The Cincinnati defense finished the 2021 season 17th in points allowed. In the 2022 NFL Draft, the Bengals used a first-round pick to add safety Dax Hill to the fold.

In July, Bengals owner Mike Brown said the team will face a challenge keeping its young corps of offensive players -- namely Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd -- together long-term.