Mike Garafolo of NFL Media reports that Bengals franchise S Jessie Bates is unlikely to be in attendance for the start of training camp on July 26 without a long-term deal. However, Garafolo doesn’t expect the two parties to reach a deal before the upcoming deadline.
Bates has yet to sign his franchise tag, which would pay him $12.9 million fully guaranteed for the 2022 season.
The Steelers locked up S Minkah Fitzpatrick to a deal that will pay him $18.24 million per season, but Garafolo doesn’t think the Bengals would go that far to get a deal done with Bates.
Bates, 25, is a former second-round pick of the Bengals back in 2018. He played out the final year of his four-year rookie contract worth $4,947,818 that included a signing bonus of $1,678,412.
Bates was set to be an unrestricted free agent in 2022 when the Bengals placed the franchise tag on him worth $12.911 million fully guaranteed.
In 2021, Bates appeared in 15 games for the Bengals and recorded 88 tackles, one interception, a fumble recovery, and four pass deflections.
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