As expected, the slight standoff between the Cincinnati Bengals and star safety Jessie Bates will last well into the summer.
According to Tyler Dragon of USA TODAY Sports+, Bates has no plans to play the 2022 season under the franchise tag. The Bengals placed the tag on him in March after negotiations on a long-term deal stalled.
Once the team applied the tag, that moved the deadline to get a long-term deal done to July 15. If nothing happens, Bates will likely sign the tag and play the season on it.
The Bengals have made it clear they want to get Bates back for the long-term and he’s said the same. But his skipping OTAs and camp was pretty much a sure thing, especially after his self-admitted erratic play last season before a strong postseason en route to the Super Bowl.
Since Bates hasn’t signed the tag, he won’t be subjected to fines for missing summer work.
