After failing to reach a long-term extension with star safety Jessie Bates, the Bengals resorted to the franchise tag. Still without a new contract for Bates, it appears that Cincinnati will not utilize the franchise tag two years in a row to keep the safety off the open market, according to Tyler Dragon of USA Today. 
Following their application of the tag last year, the two parties continued to try and work towards a long-term extension. The process continued for months with Bates not attending camps even after the passing of the extension deadline. Bates finally signed his tag and rejoined the team before the Bengals’ final preseason game.
Once again, the two sides are having trouble finding their way towards common ground in a long-term agreement. The team has the option, once again, to franchise tag Bates, but due to his tag last year, the cost is higher than a regular franchise tag for a safety this year, costing the Bengals $15.5MM for another season. With Cincinnati opting not to choose that option, the two sides will have until March 15th to work out a new contract.
Bates would likely be a hot commodity as the top safety on the board. He’s already been linked to the Browns, who are parting with a safety of their own. Without a new contract, Bates will be competing with Jordan Poyer for the top money in the open market. Poyer has more experience, but Bates has the advantage of youth.
Regardless, it’s likely a bit of a weight off of the Bengals’ shoulders heading into the new league year. Sure, there is pressure to figure out a new deal in the next week and a half, but there is the relief of knowing that that pressure will not extend through to the start of next season.
sign with Green Bay
Bye Felicia.
There are safeties in the league who change the way offenses function. He isn’t one of those guys. It’ll be funny to see who pays him as if he is one. He’s never even made a pro bowl.
I feel similar. As a bengals fan I want him to stay. He feels like a differences maker at times. But they seem to know what they are doing with the cap and they can’t keep the big three and everyone else. I’d rather see the money on the D line and getting us some corners.
You sound like a guy that just got dumped by his girlfriend. If Bates decided to take a little less and Cincinnati offered a little more to get him signed, you’d be ecstatic. Tee Higgins has never made a pro bowl but you want to hang onto him. That could be the same scenario next year so you may want to save your comment and cut and paste. This was in response to cincy sapper
Tee Higgins is far more valuable than overrated Jessie Bates.
Until he leaves
No dog in the fight but Tee is a terrible comparison here.
Not really. Higgins is a nice luxury. You still have Burrow and Chase. When Bates leaves, you have a question mark. A good quarterback can make a receiver but a defensive back operates on an island. People have to remember that Higgins has been a #2 receiver since Chase arrived. That means he gets single coverage most plays while Chase gets the double. Anyone signing or trading for Higgins (if), he will be a 1 and get constant doubles
Hard to evaluate safeties, as being in the middle of the field tends to lead to stats that belie their real contribution.
Bears
Niners!!
Also letting Norman BATES walk; he wants to be closer to his mother….
Swing and a miss
After seeing some of the off-season rumors among the potential elite DBs, I wonder if a “sign-and-trade” of Jessie Bates might be possible. I know the Rams are rumored to be shopping Jalen Ramsey, and since Eli Apple is also a FA (whose level of play does not match his antics), why not try to make a one-for-one deal between Ramsey and Bates? If the Bengals extend Bates, they could theoretically ship him to LA, and gain the elite corner they need while letting their younger safeties grow. The Rams, meanwhile, gain an additional centerpiece on their defense that can solidify their secondary while also bridging the gap between the older leadership of Aaron Donald and the young defenders.
With Chase, Higgins and Burrow having to be paid soon, they just can’t spend that kind of money on a position they can address in the draft or a more affordable FA.
Bengals piling up cash to pay Burrow. Gonna be more guys being allowed to walk away as FA in coming years. Notoriously cheap franchise. Will be fascinating to see them being forced into spending some money to sign Burrow and keep a reasonable roster around him.
hey the 90s called, they want the idiotic narrative about the Bengals back
Did you see the NFLPA release of it’s survey? Apparently the Bengals are still cheap in 2023
Re: the idiotic narrative going away – I’ll believe it when I see it. I’ll wait to see them sign Burrow, Higgins, and Chase to long term deals. If they do that, I’ll own the fact that the narrative is outdated.
Teams that have been passed down through generations emanating from old time teams are often cash poor. The Brown family, the Davis family, etc. Bengals challenge is gonna be ponying up the escrow $ that must be put in place to cover guaranteed portion of contract.
That’s why they sold the naming rights to Paul Brown Stadium. That’s a huge sign that the Bengals need cash
Cash poor, yes. But now that old man brown isn’t calling the shots anymore there’s a hope that it can be done better. His daughter seems to have some business sense about her. I don’t think the naming rights deal was a sign they are in trouble. I think it was a sign of someone finding an easy way to bring in a ton of cash by doing something that everyone else already has.
First off it’s not a ton of money. It’s rumored to be about 8 million a year. Secondly, his Dad’s name was on the stadium and he sold that. That should tell you something