The Cincinnati Bengals will adjust to training without Jessie Bates III.
According to USA Today’s Tyler Dragon, formerly of the Cincinnati Enquirer, Bates “has no intention of playing under the franchise tag this year and plans to skip off-season practice and even training camp unless he has a long-term contract with completes the Bengals.
Cincinnati tagged Bates back in March, but Bates hasn’t signed it yet, meaning he won’t be fined if he skipped training camp practice. None of the team’s OTA sessions are mandatory, nor does Bates have any training bonuses to earn.
While disappointing for both sides, it’s not a shocking turn of events. Bates has made it public that he is not a fan of the tag and even spoke about the difficulty of playing in a contract year last year. It’s not surprising that he doesn’t want to do it again.
Negotiations between the Bengals and Bates began around this time last year with Bates ending a career season in 2020. They initially faltered ahead of the 2021 season and Bates had a disappointing first half of the year. He returned to his 2020 form just in time for the playoffs, appearing at the top of his game during Cincinnati’s run to Super Bowl 56.
Despite his late-season resurgence, the Bengals were unable to agree on an extension before the March 8 franchise tag deadline. They have a new July 15 deadline to sign Bates for the foreseeable future, but if Bates uses his latest form of leverage by holding out, then the two sides appear no closer to reaching a new deal .
The Bengals’ defense is better with Bates patrolling midfield, but their price and Bates’ price are nowhere near a match. That could result in the team calling his bluff or Bates never playing in Cincinnati again. We will find out in July and the following weeks.