2 years agoThe Cincinnati Bengals and star safety Jessie Bates were unable to reach an agreement on a long-term contract extension by Friday's deadline, so Bates will play the 2022 season under the franchise tag. The Bengals final offer guaranteed him only $4 million more than he would have received if he eventually signs the franchise tag. The tag locks Bates in for one year, while the team's offer would have locked him in for five additional years. The 25-year-old hasn't signed his franchise tender and already skipped organized team activities this spring. In 15 regular season games in 2021, Bates had a career-low 88 tackles (67 solo), three tackles for loss, one interception, four passes defensed and one fumble recovery.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBaller
Source: NFL Network - Ian Rapoport