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It’s easy for fans to feel a little dismayed at the latest development between the Cincinnati Bengals and star safety Jessie Bates.
But the reality? This latest stage of the standoff has been coming for a long time.
Early this week, a report re-confirmed that Bates doesn’t like the idea of playing the season on a franchise tag and that he’ll skip OTAs, and likely training camp.
But again — this was always going to happen.
We already knew the Bengals tried to extend Bates last year. He’s been outspoken against the tag while stressing he wants to stay with the Bengals long-term. He even admitted his play during the regular season suffered because of the uncertainty around his long-term future (before playing elite football in the playoffs).
This latest development, his not signing the franchise tag and planning on not showing up, is merely the last drop of leverage he and his reps have in negotiations. It’s very flimsy footing, but due diligence on their part. In reality, tagged players hardly have any leverage. They’re not subject to fines because they haven’t signed anything, but he’s got until July 15 to sign it (or agree to a long-term extension) or he’s essentially forced to sign it, then get fined for what he misses. If not, he doesn’t get paid, plain and simple.
Which is to say this isn’t a sign Bates doesn’t want to be in town or is asking for unreasonable money. Rather, it’s a sign he and his reps know he’d get big money as a free agent and he’d like that, explicitly with the Bengals.
From here, there are a few ways this could play out. Maybe Bates and the Bengals agree on an extension before July 15. That would give him the stability he seeks and the team a clear-cut view of what the cap looks like before they have to extend Tee Higgins and get Joe Burrow his extension early.
Or, barring an extension, Bates could hold out, sign the tag, then accept fines until Week 1, where he’d likely end up playing to make sure he gets paid — the unlikely route here.
Either way, Bates is bound to suit up for the Bengals in 2022 (and then they can negotiate again after the season). That’s life for a tagged player under the current CBA. That he and his reps are doing their due diligence with their last gasp of leverage isn’t a shock or even a bad thing. The team surely accounted for this already, just as they’ve accounted for every cap scenario, be it the tag, an extension or something else.
In other words, it’s an eye-popping headline for the player, fans and team. But it’s also May, where even the expected like this is a bit exaggerated and nothing to fret over, in this scenario, for roughly two months.
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