Bengals star safety Jessie Bates wants to avoid franchise tag

The Cincinnati Bengals will likely spend some of their available salary-cap space this offseason to improve their offensive line in the hopes that adequately protecting quarterback Joe Burrow will help them do more than return to the Super Bowl for a second straight season. 

Cincinnati may also have to splash cash to hold onto one of its most important defensive assets. 

2020 second-team All-Pro safety Jessie Bates said last June he wanted to remain with the Bengals past the 2021 season as he prepared to play through the final campaign of his contract and then admitted in September he was motivated to silence any critics after he failed to receive an extension. Cincinnati can retain Bates' rights through 2022 via the franchise tag, but the veteran who turns 25 years old on Saturday wants no part of that. 

"That's a conversation I think that we'll have with my agency and my team," Bates explained during a Wednesday appearance on NFL Network's "NFL Now," according to Adam Maya of the league's website. "I put a lot of trust in them with this whole process. I'm just trying to stay focused, control what I can. We'll see. Hopefully I'm not under a franchise tag. That's something that needs to be discussed as NFLPA a little bit. Some of the top guys got hurt under a franchise tag. It's tough; you only get one shot at this. You just got to play your cards right, I guess you could say."

Bates recorded 88 total tackles, an interception and four pass breakups during regular-season play in 2021 but, per James Rapien of All Bengals, hit a different level during the playoffs. Across four postseason contests, Bates tallied 20 total tackles, a pair of interceptions and six pass breakups. 

A recent report claimed the Bengals will soon have to start offering veteran players noteworthy financial guarantees moving forward if they hope to hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy and also keep Burrow happy beyond his rookie contract. The franchise-tag window is open until March 8, and Bates would earn approximately $13.5 million for the 2022 season playing under the tag.