CINCINNATI — Jesse Bates III, defenseman for the Cincinnati Bengals, will sign with the team for at least one more season.
The team announced Monday that Bates has been awarded the franchise designation before Tuesday’s deadline. Bates was on the verge of becoming a free agent when his rookie contract expired at the end of the league season.
“Last year we tried to renew his contract here in Cincinnati,” Bengals executive vice president Kathy Blackburn said in a statement. “While it didn’t happen, we want him to be here in 2022 to be part of what we believe should be an exciting football season and a bright future for our organization.”
The deal secures Bates’ short-term future with the club that selected him in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft. The tag will be worth $13 million, according to Spotrac. At last week’s NFL scouting camp in Indianapolis, Bengals chief executive Duke Tobin confirmed the franchise’s intention to keep him in Cincinnati.
“He’s a guy who developed and played well, plays a real role in our team in many different areas, especially in leadership and draw skills,” Tobin said. “He’s the guy we want to go forward.”
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The franchise tag allows Bates and the Bengals to secure a long-term deal through July 15 at 4:00 pm ET. If a multi-year contract is not completed by then, Bates will not be eligible for a contract extension until the end of the season, under the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement with the NFLPA.
Bates played a key role in helping the Bengals reach their first Super Bowl in 33 years. In four postseason games, he had six pass deflections, 20 tackles, and two interceptions, including one in a 23–20 Super Bowl LVI loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
Security, which turned 25 in February, called for a contract extension with the Bengals after a breakout 2020 campaign; however, these pre-season discussions did not result in a new contract.
He started 15 games last season, throwing 88 tackles with an interception, four passes defended and a fumble recovery.
Since joining the Bengals in 2018, the former second-round pick has become one of the team’s most reliable starting players. He appeared in 63 of the 65 possible games in four NFL seasons, starting all of them.
A neck injury sustained during a win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 3 snapped Bates’ streak of 51 straight starts, the fifth-longest streak in franchise history.