As expected, the Cincinnati Bengals and safety Jessie Bates weren’t able to do a deal before Friday’s deadline.
That means Bates will play the 2022 season on the tag. A recent report said the money and total number of years played a role in the standoff. And another report said Bates intends to hold out of training camp and is uncertain about playing on the tag.
The Bengals applied the franchise tag to Bates on March 7, meaning he and the team had until the July 15 deadline to agree on an extension or he would play the season under that tag worth $12.9 million. Talks stalled between the two sides and a report said Bates, understandably, didn’t want to play under the tag. He and Trey Hendrickson were the only players who didn’t attend voluntary workouts. Joe Burrow himself spoke out about wanting Bates to get a long-term deal and the first weekend of July took him to UFC 276.
With the deadline past, all eyes turn to whether Bates will report to training camp. He won’t be fined for missing time since he hasn’t signed his tag.
