Bengals to 'circle back' to negotiations with star safety Jessie Bates III

It appears that no news is not good news as it pertains to the status of Cincinnati Bengals star safety Jessie Bates III. 

Bates, a 2020 second-team All-Pro, left zero doubt last month he wanted no part of the franchise tag but had such wishes shot down when the Bengals used that tag to retain the 25-year-old's rights through the offseason. According to Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk, Bates hasn't yet signed the tag, and Bengals executive vice president Katie Blackburn suggested while speaking at the league's annual meetings that the two sides aren't close to reaching an agreement. 

July 15 is the deadline for tagged players to sign long-term contracts with their clubs. As things stand today, Bates would earn $12.911 million for the 2022 season on the tag. 

"There hasn’t been a lot to report on since we put the tag on him," Blackburn explained. "We obviously tried to get him re-signed last year. 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. But obviously, we love Jessie as a player and if there’s a way we could get something worked out, that would be great. And we just have to see where it goes." 

Bates tallied 20 total tackles, two interceptions and six pass breakups during Cincinnati's playoff run that ended with the Super Bowl LVI loss to the Los Angeles Rams and clearly believed his postseason performances earned him guaranteed money beyond the franchise tag. As noted by Over the Cap, the Bengals have adequate salary-cap space to keep Bates on the tag if he and/or his camp play hardball in negotiations through the summer.