It’s a matter of money and years when it comes to the standoff between the Cincinnati Bengals and franchise-tagged star Jessie Bates.
And as has been the case for a while now, it’s clear Bates is unlikely to report to training camp and will, at the very least, hesitate to play during the regular season on the tag, too.
CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson just reported this as well, noting that Bates “has no intentions” on training camp “nor playing on the franchise tag.”
Bates has the wiggle room to skip training camp, too. He hasn’t signed his franchise tag, so he won’t be subjected to fines for missing camp. Actually skipping games under the current CBA is trickier and could cost him money, but it’s hard to imagine things get to that point.
As of this writing, nothing too unexpected has unfolded between the two parties. The Bengals, with an eye on future deals, offered one of their typical extension outlines and Bates understandably balked and will use his last bit of leverage to stay as healthy as possible before free agency next offseason.
I'm told #Bengals S Jessie Bates has no intentions of reporting to training camp, nor playing on the franchise tag, per league source.
The two sides are currently unable to come to terms on an extension on today's deadline for long-term deals for players designated with the tag.
— IG: JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) July 15, 2022
