Jessie Bates and the Cincinnati Bengals can no longer negotiate a contract extension until after the 2022 season, but the fifth-year safety is utilizing the last ounce of leverage and self-preservation he has.
Per multiple reports, Bates was the only veteran to not report for training camp today.
Bates has not signed his franchise tag that would pay him a base salary of $12.9 million for the season. However, that doesn’t give him any long-term security after already playing out a contract year in 2021.
Bates can wait until the start of the 2022 season to sign his franchise tag and still receive his full salary, so that is the next step we will likely see.