When the Cincinnati Bengals placed the franchise tag on star safety Jessie Bates III, they bought themselves four more months to agree on a contract extension.
July 15th is the new deadline for both sides to come to terms on a long-term contract. If no deal is reached, then Bates will either have to sign his franchise tag tender of $12.9 million or begin to holdout, which would costs Bates plenty in fines.
It’s in the best interest of both parties to reach an extension, but what would that realistically look like? Anthony Holzman-Escareno of NFL.